Fatherhood
by XSaduX
Summary: AU where Merlin managed to save Arthur. Now Arthur has to face his most difficult task yet: fatherhood. Warning: Cuteness
1. The monster under the bed

******Hi! So, in this story, I use the same name for the young prince as in my other stories 'Of Princes and...' and the others, but this story has nothing to do with any of them, since Arthur is alive in this one. I hope it's not too confusing. If you have read any of my other stories and you think it's confusing, be sure to let me know, and I'll consider changing the name.**

******Also, this will be a collection of short stories about Arthur as a father, but they will be posted in no particular order. **

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. The errors in William's sentences are deliberate, however. Enjoy!**

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Arthur felt as if he had only been asleep for five minutes when he was awoken by an insistent tugging on the blanket behind him. He could feel Guinevere curled up against his chest, so it couldn't be her. He sighed. Of course, this would be the night William decided to wake up in the middle of the night. It had been a busy week with few hours of sleep, and the first night he could start catching up on his sleep, his son was awake. He cautiously rolled over, trying not to wake his wife, who needed sleep as much as he did. Four-year-old William was looking at him with big blue eyes from under his blond locks.

"Daddy, can I sleep with you?" Arthur sighed again, but helped his little boy get into the bed and under the blanket. Most nights, his son slept alone in his bedroom, a room connected to the rooms Arthur shared with his wife. But sometimes, William woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, and then he came to his parents. It had been almost a month since the last time it happened, so Arthur had been expecting something like this, he only wished it wouldn't have been tonight. But he would never turn his son away. He was determined to show his child how much he loved him and that he could always come to him if he had a problem.

Once the boy was snuggled close to him, Arthur whispered to him. "So, what made you wake up?" Understanding that his daddy wanted him to speak quietly, William lowered the volume of his voice. "I was thirsty, and when I wanted to take the cup from the bedside table, I see-ed a monster under my bed." Arthur played along and widened his eyes. "A monster under your bed? What did it look like?" William shivered. "Green, and hairy, and with five arms and three legs and a million eyes. And it wanted to take me, so I comed to your room, daddy, and it didn't follow 'cause it can only live under my bed."

Arthur smiled at his son's imagination. "Oooh, a hairy, green monster that lives under the bed. That's one of the worst kind of monsters. D'you need to borrow Excalibur to chase it away?" The little blond at his side giggled. "Silly daddy! I can't take Exclubber, it's taller than I am. But will you kill the monster, daddy, please?" The King kissed his son's head. "Of course I will. But I think I'll need uncle Merlin to help me."

William sat up and was ready to run out of the room. Arthur had expected this, so he grabbed the boy by the arm gently. "It can wait until tomorrow though, can't it? The monster won't get to you here. You can go wake up your uncle tomorrow morning really early. Agreed?" William thought about it before slumping back against Arthur. "Can I sleep in between you and mummy?" The King agreed and let the boy climb over him. When he was settled, Arthur kissed his head again, put his arm around the boy and spoke quietly. "Now, go to sleep. You're safe here. I promise." "'kay, daddy. Love you." The words came out mumbled already, and not even three minutes after, little William was asleep after hearing his father return the sentiment.

When Arthur was sure his son was asleep, he made himself comfortable. Before he could go back to his own dreams, however, Guinevere spoke. "That was slightly evil. What did poor Merlin do to deserve being woken up by our little monster here?" Arthur huffed. "It's nothing more than he deserves. He's the one who told William about monster in closets and under beds, so he can be the one to solve that problem. Did we wake you?" Gwen smiled and reached over William to put her hand on his cheek. "William woke me up when he asked if he could sleep with you. I don't mind, I love these little moments. I couldn't have chosen a better man to have children with, Arthur." The King smiled, turned his head slightly and kissed his Queen's hand. "And there isn't anyone else I'd want to have my children, my love." With these words, both of them smiled at each other for a moment before closing their eyes and going back to sleep.

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**AN: I hope you've enjoyed the story! There will be more, but I'm not sure when I'll be posting them. It's up to my imagination. If one of you has an idea you would like me to write, let me know in a review or PM and I'll see what I can do.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Update: sort of follow-up story: chapter 4: Merlin the monster hunter**


	2. Arthur, meet your son

**********AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! ****  
****Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. Enjoy!**

******Summary: Arthur is waiting in the hallway on one of the happiest days in his life. This story takes place about a year after the battle of Camlann. As I said, the stories will not be written in any particular order, so this is actually William's birth.**

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Arthur was pacing. Normally, he managed to appear calm and collected in every situation, but this time, there was no way he could appear unaffected. His agitation was obvious to everyone who came near him: if the pacing didn't clue them in, then the way he ran his hands through his hair and over his face would. Fortunately, there were only a few people in his presence at the moment, and these select few had seen him at his worst before. He trusted them with his life. Sure, they would later use this against him, but right now, they were supportive. Mainly because they were just as anxious as him.

When another sound came from the room he was pacing in front of, he leant against the wall and let his head thump against it. This was too much. He was the King, for God's sake, but Gaius had unceremoniously thrown him from the room when he arrived. The only comfort Arthur got from the situation, was that Merlin was still outside with him. Surely, if they didn't need his best friend to use magic, then everything was alright, wasn't it? It had to be, because Arthur refused to lose someone else he loved. He'd already lost his mother, his father, his sister (although her betrayal hurt more than her actual death). He'd lost a great number of his knights, but the losses that had hurt the most were of course Lancelot, Elyan and only a short while ago Gwaine. Arthur himself had almost joined them, if it hadn't been for Merlin.

He pushed away from the wall again and continued walking up and down the hallway. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his arm. "Arthur, you need to calm down. Everything is going to be alright. You trust Gaius, don't you?" He turned around to look into the eyes of his best friend. Even though Merlin had lied to him for almost ten years, he had never lied about something like this. Arthur sighed. "I do. It's just…" He didn't need to finish his sentence for Merlin to understand what he was saying. The warlock nodded. "I know. But Gwen is strong. You're not underestimating your wife, are you? 'cause if you are, I'm telling her, so she can talk some sense into you." The King snorted. "Some best friend you are." Merlin just smiled his 'innocent' smile, which looked surprisingly mischievous. Arthur wondered how he had ever missed that. The other two people in the hallway, Leon and Percival, were smiling slightly at the interaction between the King and his former servant.

A silence descended on the hallway, only to be broke ten minutes later by a soft cry from the room. Arthur's eyes widened. He had to resist the urge to break down the door. Even if it was his own door, Gaius would not respond well to that, and would probably only agree to treat his shoulder (which he would surely hurt) if Arthur promised to stay away from the training field for a few weeks. And since Arthur liked his training (way more than the boring court meetings he was forced to attend), he wouldn't want that. Fortunately, he only had to wait a few more minutes before Gaius opened the door and called him in.

He looked at the old physician with questioning eyes. "Your child is healthy, Arthur, no need to worry." Part of the weight on his shoulders lifted. "And…" Gaius interrupted him. "Gwen is exhausted, but she will be fine after a few days of bed rest. Now, do you want to see your child or will you stay out here?" Arthur hurried into the room, almost skipping now that his worries were proven unnecessary (he would never admit the skipping part to anyone, however). When he approached the bed, he looked back at Gaius and Merlin, both standing in the doorway. "Go on, we'll give you a few minutes alone, but them I'm coming in. I want to meet prat junior as soon as possible. The King tried to glare at Merlin, but he didn't quite succeed. He was too happy to achieve anything resembling anger or annoyance.

When he reached the bed, he found his wife sitting against the headboard, holding a small child, bundled up in blankets to keep warm. A tuft of blond hair came peeping out. He sat down next to Guinevere. "Hi," he said, before kissing her softly. She smiled a tired smile and let her head rest against his shoulder. "Arthur, meet your son." The King looked down at the child in her arms. "He's so tiny…" A small hand with minuscule fingers came from between the blanket. Arthur lifted his own hand to stroke his son's, but when he was stroking the palm of the little hand, the tiny fingers curled around one of his. He smiled softly. "He has a strong grip, though." He felt Guinevere nod her head against his shoulder.

"Do you want to hold him?" His smile widened. Gwen instructed him on how to hold a newborn, and then transferred the prince to his arms. After about a minute of holding him, the little boy opened his eyes. Arthur had felt like this since he knew his Queen was pregnant, but the moment his eyes met an identical, although smaller, pair of eyes, he knew he would do everything in his power to keep his little boy happy, and he would kill everyone that threatened his son's safety. Without a doubt, Merlin would help him accomplish that.

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**AN: This was stuck in my head, so I just wrote it down. In my opinion, even though Arthur knows his mother died because of the magic used when he was conceived, there is still a certain amount of fear for Guinevere when she has to give birth. This story didn't really have interaction between Arthur and his son, but I just had to get it out.**

**Oh! And I would like to thank everyone who read, reviewed, favorited and/or started following this story. Because, really, I was rather surprised when I opened my mailbox this morning and found quite a few e-mails from fanfiction about this story. So THANK YOU!**


	3. A perfect way to escape council meetings

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. The errors in William's sentences are deliberate, however. Enjoy!**

******Summary: Arthur really doesn't want to go to the council meeting.**

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Arthur was walking down the hallway in the direction of his son's room. He hadn't seen William in a week, since he had been on a mission with Merlin and some knights. In an hour, he was expected in the throne room where the round table stood for a council meeting, but he wanted to spend some time with his son first. Arriving at the room, he knocked before opening the door. William was sitting in a corner of the room, playing with the blocks, but when he heard the door open, he turned his head. "Daddy!" Arthur suddenly had his arms full with an enthusiastic five-year-old prince. He kissed his son's head. "I take it you missed me, then?" he asked. William nodded his head fervently.

On the other side of the room, William's nanny came from behind the screen. "My Lord." "Good morning, Sophie. Did I interrupt something? Like his bath time?" The young woman blushed slightly. "Oh, no, my Lord. I was just folding some of the prince's clothes." "I think I've told you before you don't have to call me 'my Lord'. But anyway, I wish to spend some time with William, so I'm giving you some time off. Could you come back in an hour?" "Of course. William was waiting anxiously for your return." He nodded his thanks before the girl left the room. Then he looked back at William, who had yet to let go of him. "So, it's just you and me now. What do you propose we do, now? I'm all yours." The boy beamed at that. "Can you help me build a castle?"

When Sophie came back an hour later, she wasn't alone. Leon was with her. "Sire, the council meeting starts in five minutes." Arthur sighed. "Yes, I know." William's eyes widened. The moment he heard 'council' he knew playtime with his dad was over. He could not let that happen, so he quickly ran around the blocks and jumped in Arthur's lap. "No! He can't leave!" The King's arms went around him automatically. Leon smiled slightly. "Oh, and why not, your Highness?" The boy's mouth opened and closed a few times while he thought about that. Then, triumphantly "'cause I'm sitting on him and he can't stand up. And I'm not leaving!" Arthur tried to hold back the laughter that threatened to burst, but didn't quite succeed. But William wasn't done yet. "And 'cause he's MY daddy, so I can say what he's… what he's 'lowed to do, so I say he has to stay here."

Arthur looked at his son, who was pouting, and then looked up at Leon. "You can't argue with that logic, Leon. I guess I'll just have to stay here." His knight rolled his eyes. "Arthur, you're the King, he can't tell you what to do." The King shrugged his shoulders. "Merlin does. Leon, I don't feel like going to that boring council meeting. I haven't seen William for a week. He's a much better alternative than those old, boring council members, who will, once again, try to convince me to raise the taxes, which I will, once again, refuse to do. There have been no attacks, no bandits, nothing I really need to deal with. I trust you and Gaius to pay attention to what is being said, and if something really important comes up, you know where I am. Just, no raising taxes."

Leon narrowed his eyes. "And what am I supposed to say to them? They'll be offended that you would rather spend time with your son than leading your kingdom." Arthur shrugged again. "Just tell them you couldn't find me. Tell them one of the servants told you I was in the east wing, but when you got there, another told you they'd seen me near the court room, so you assumed I'd be at the council meeting already." "What if they send Merlin to find you? You know he'll find you instantly." The King smiled. "Leave Merlin to me. I know he'd rather stay here and entertain my son than sit in on the council meeting." Leon still looked uncertain, so Arthur looked down at William and whispered in his ear. "A little help here? Just ask your uncle nicely to let me stay here."

The boy flashed him a smile and then turned to the knight. "Please, uncle Leon. Can daddy stay here with me, please?" He pouted too. Arthur smirked. That ought to do it. No one could turn down his son when he did that. He was so proud! And indeed, it was not in vain, Leon's shoulders fell. He glared at Arthur. "You're not fighting fair, Sire, using your son that way…" "I can use whatever means necessary, Leon. I can't help it if he has you wrapped around his finger." "Fine, I'll tell the council members I couldn't find you, but you probably fell asleep somewhere. But I'm telling the Queen where you are." Two identical pairs of eyes widened slightly and they spoke in unison. "Uh oh." Then William looked at his father gleefully. "You'll get in trouble, daddy." The King's shoulders fell. "And it will be your fault. But you're worth it." And indeed, the beaming smile his son shot him was worth a hundred reprimands from his wife.

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**AN: Thank you for reading! And thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/favorited/started following this story/my other stories/me.**

**As I said in the first chapter, if you want me to write a specific situation (preferably William-related), let me know. I have a few more ideas, but I'm willing to take your advice. **


	4. Merlin the monster hunter

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. The errors in William's sentences are deliberate, however. Enjoy!**

******Summary: Merlin's punishment for telling scary monster stories to William: babysitting. This story happens shortly after 'The monster under the bed' and was written after larasmith suggested it in a review. So thank you!**

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Arthur, Gwen, William and Merlin were having dinner. Normally, dinner was reserved for the King and Queen and their son, but sometimes Arthur would invite Merlin. Usually when he needed Merlin to do him a favor. Merlin was already rolling his eyes, trying to imagine what Arthur wanted from him this time. The 'request' managed to surprise him though.

Halfway through dessert, Arthur had not spoken of any problems or favors yet. He had been entertaining his son for the entire meal. It was Gwen that opened the conversation that would mean the beginning of the end for Merlin. "Arthur, stop feeding William all these sugars. He's going to be a nightmare tonight. We'll never get him to calm down long enough to tuck him in." Arthur smirked. "Oh, but love, we won't need to worry about that. See, I arranged a long walk through town and the surrounding grounds. We'll walk in the moonlight, lay down on a blanket and look at the stars. We'll only be back very late into the night, long after William's bedtime." Gwen frowned at him suspiciously. "What brought this on?" A charming smile appeared on her husband's face. "After the last few hectic weeks, I believe we deserve a peaceful night, don't you? We need a bit of romance."

Now, that made _Merlin_ suspicious. Arthur was not romantic, not even a little bit. Normally, he asked Merlin to prepare outings like that. William interrupted his thoughts. "Daddy, what about me?" Arthur threw a smirk at Merlin before answering. "I'm sure uncle Merlin won't mind taking care of you tonight. Isn't that right, _Mer_lin?" Merlin's eyes widened. Normally, he would gladly take care of William, but tonight, the little boy would be hyperactive. He didn't get time to protest. "Of course you won't mind. See, William, uncle Merlin is happy to take care of you. And you like him, so that won't be a problem. Now, I have to go prepare some things for your mummy tonight, so be a good boy and stay here with her for a bit, so she won't get bored." He kissed Williams forehead and left the room, hearing Merlin excuse himself, just like he expected.

He was only five steps from the door when Merlin caught up with him. "You are evil! I have things to do tonight, Arthur. Gaius asked me to research..." Arthur interrupted him. "You can research while taking care of my son." His tone was innocent, but Merlin knew that was only pretend. "You know very well it will be impossible! You fed him enough sugar to keep him up all night!" "Careful, Merlin, you wouldn't want William to hear you refuse, would you?" Merlin grumbled, but stayed quiet otherwise. Arthur continued. "And if he stays up all night, then you'll just have to stay up with him. Surely you can do that? After all, Gwen and I have not had a decent night's sleep since _you_ told him about monsters that live under beds and in closets."

Realization swept over Merlin's face. "So that's it? You're taking revenge on me by setting your son on me? You already allow him to wake me up at the crack of dawn to 'kill the monsters'! And you fed him all that sugar on purpose!" Arthur grinned. He didn't even try to deny it. "Ah, yes. But Gwen and I really need a night where our sleep isn't interrupted." "Arthur…" "No arguing about this, Merlin. I've already set up two connected guest rooms on the second floor for the two of you. William's favorite toys are already there, and you can just bring some of the books for your research. Enjoy!" The King continued on his way, turning a corner and disappearing from view. Merlin knew he wouldn't get out of this.

That was how Merlin found himself in a guest bedroom on the second floor two hours later, trying to calm down William. They had already played with the toy soldiers, the toy swords, the blocks, the toy horses, Merlin had even tried entertaining the boy with his magic. The figures he conjured in the fire had fascinated the young prince for about five minutes before he started running around the rooms again. Now they were playing hide and seek, and Merlin was supposed to be looking for William. He spotted him behind the curtain in Merlin's room. Pretending to look under the bed and in the closet, he steadily made his way closer to the curtains. When he was close enough, he grabbed the little boy around the waist, making him squeal in surprise.

He held on to the boy and carried him to his room. "William, it's time to go to sleep. Look, you're yawning already, and it's way past your bedtime, you know that." William pouted. "But…" "No 'but's, your bed is waiting for you. Will you be a good boy and go to sleep?" He set the boy down on the double bed, thankful that he had already coaxed him into his sleeping attire. "Mummy and daddy haven't come to say goodnight yet." William crossed his arms in front of his chest, refusing to lay down, even though he was yawning again. Merlin had difficulties to keep the fond smile off his face. "You know that's not true. They said goodnight before they left. And they aren't back yet." After a few more minutes of coaxing, he managed to get William under the blankets and once settled, the boy just closed his eyes. Relieved, Merlin left the prince's bedroom to get started on his research.

Only ten minutes later, a voice came from the doorway to the prince's room. Merlin quietly groaned before looking up to see William standing there. "Uncle Merlin, there's a monster in the closet." He sighed. He really shouldn't have told him about monsters. Merlin stood up and went into the prince's room. "Now, where did you see that monster?" When William pointed at the largest closet in the room, Merlin stepped closer to it and opened the doors. "I don't see a monster here. Are you sure?" The blond boy nodded. "It's hiding in the shadows of the closet, uncle Merlin." The warlock conjured a bright ball of light and let it chase away all of the shadows. "See, no monster. Can you go to sleep now?"

William just shook his head. "Maybe it crept under my bed now, when we wasn't looking." Merlin decided to play along. "That would be a very smart monster, if it crept away when we weren't looking. But you know what, instead of searching for it, what if I put a spell on you to protect you from it. Would that make you feel better?" The young prince nodded enthusiastically. Merlin made the boy stand in front of him and created a blue, shimmering sphere all around him. William's eyes widened. "Oooh, sparkling!" That got a laugh out of Merlin. "Now, you've seen the protective ball. It will last until you're big and strong enough to chase them away yourself. But I'm going to make it invisible, so the monsters won't see it." "Why can't they see it? Then they will still try to take me." "Aaah, because, if they can't see it, and they try to attack you, then, the moment they touch the protective shield, they'll disappear. Just, poof! Gone!" "Just poof?" "Yes, just poof." William looked at him trustingly. "Okay."

"Now, ready to get back to bed?" William hesitated. "Even if the monster will disappear before it takes me, it's still under the bed." Merlin almost sighed, but managed to hold it in. He improvised, taking into account one of the prince's favorite pastimes. "Do you know the most effective way to chase away monsters from under your bed?" The prince thought about it. "Magic?" "Yes, that can help. But there is a way that is even better, and more fun too. 'Cause not all children have an uncle who can do magic. No, the best way is jumping up and down on the bed! Then the monsters get scared and they run away." William's eyes started shining. "Really?" "Really." "That's so cool!" Then his expression sobered. "But mummy and daddy say I'm not allowed to jump on the bed."

Merlin crouched down before him. "But they're not here, are they? Tell you what, I won't tell them if you won't, I promise. They never have to know." William's face brightened. "You're the best, uncle Merlin!" He threw his arms around the warlock. At that moment, Merlin's heart melted. He knew the boy had him wrapped around his little finger, but he didn't care. He would do anything for this little prince, just like he would do anything for the boy's father. "Will you jump with me?" Merlin laughed shortly, before being tugged on top of the bed, where he started bouncing, while William started jumping in earnest.

Ten minutes later, William was exhausted and he dropped down next to Merlin. He snuggled closer. "Was that enough to scare the monster away?" "Of course it was. It will be so scared that it will never come back here again." "'Kay." Merlin stayed next to him, stroking his hair softly, encouraging him to go to sleep. William was already slurring his words when he asked his next question. "Uncle Merlin, how d'you chase away monsters from closets?" The warlock had to think about this for a moment, not helped by the fact that he was almost asleep too. "Well, they aren't as easy to chase away. But if you don't want them to come after you, you just have to lock the doors of the closet so they can't get out." There came no answer from the young prince, who had fallen asleep. Merlin knew he should get out of the bed and back to his research, but he was comfortable. '_I'll stay here for five more minutes, and then I'll get up,'_ he thought.

In the end, he fell asleep shortly after, instead of continuing the research for Gaius. When Arthur and Gwen decided to check up on their son after they got back, they found William curled up against Merlin, both peacefully sleeping. They smiled at each other and left the room, going back to their own rooms, where they would not be interrupted for the night.

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**AN: Wow, I was overwhelmed when I opened my mailbox this morning. Fanfiction really has the best readers! So, thanks go to all of you!**


	5. Lost and found

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. The errors in William's sentences are deliberate, however. Enjoy!**

******Summary: William gets lost in town (but it certainly isn't his own fault in his opinion)and makes a new friend. **

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Five-year-old William was lost. He was trying to hold back his tears, but a few leaked out anyway. He couldn't see any of his daddy's knights or guards, only a few citizens of the lower town. And on top of that, he couldn't even see the castle from here, so he had no idea in which direction to go. Today had started well, when his mummy and daddy told him he was allowed to go into town. The only downside was that they wouldn't be able to go with him, but he didn't let it bother him. He loved the town, with its small streets and alleys and lots of people who smiled at him. But now he was lost. And it was all the guard's fault, according to William.

See, here's how it happened. William was always accompanied by a guard when he went into town. This guard, however had stopped at one of the stalls, so the young prince had been forced to wait. Getting bored quickly, he decided to hide from the guard, so the man would have to look for him. And that's where it all went horribly wrong. Once the guard noticed his charge wasn't at his side anymore, he had started looking around frantically, asking people if they had seen him. In the meantime, William had been trying to hold back his giggles. But then, when the guard didn't find him immediately, he had run off! William expected him to come back soon after, but when that didn't happen, he had tried to go after him, which is how he ended up here, in a part of town he had never been to, all alone.

William swiped his tears away angrily, deciding to just walk to the next corner and see if he could find someone he knew there. But before he could do that, a young girl approached him. "Hi! Are you new? I haven't seen you here before. Do you want to come to the square with me, to play with my friends?" William considered this. The girl seemed nice, even if she was a bit older than him. And playing sounded nice too. Quickly forgetting about his predicament, he agreed to go with her.

They played with the other kids for an hour, during which he told her his name and he found out her name was Lynn. When the gathering of children broke apart, all going home to have lunch, William bit his lip. Lynn saw. "Oh. If you are lost, you can come home with me, and then my mum can help you find your parents. Is that alright?" The prince blushed slightly, but nodded. Lynn took his hand and pulled him with her to her house.

Lynn spoke the moment they were through the door. "Mum! Look, I've made a new friend. Is it okay if he stays here for lunch? He's lost. His name is William." Lynn's mother, Mary, turned around quickly and gasped, recognizing the prince. "Oh dear. Where did you find him?" "In the street just around the corner. Can you help him find his parents later?" Mary nodded and ushered William to the table. "Lynn, before we eat, can you go tell your father I need him here, immediately?" When Lynn was out the door, Mary took another good look at William. "Your Highness. Everyone in town is looking for you."

William looked down and bit his lip again. "I was lost, and then Lynn found me, and then we went to play and I forgot I was lost." The young prince looked so innocent that Mary smiled softly. "Of course, sweetheart. Now, would you like some bread and an apple? You must be hungry." William's eyes shone brightly and he smiled charmingly. "Yes, please." Before Mary could prepare something however, her husband Dan came in. When he saw the prince sitting at the table, his eyes widened. He didn't have time to start asking questions, because Mary sent him out to go find a knight or one of the guards looking for the young prince.

So while William was eating, Dan ran into a more populated area of town. When he rounded a corner, he ran into someone, both of them ending up on the ground. When he looked up, he discovered he had just run over the King. "My Lord, I'm so sorry. I was just…" The King was already on his feet again. "Doesn't matter, I don't have time. No harm done." He started to leave. Dan quickly scrambled up. "Your Highness, wait." Arthur just turned his head and shouted over his shoulder. "I don't have time! I need to find my son!" He was almost around the next corner, when he heard Dan call after him. "I know where the prince is, Sire!" That made the King stop short. "Take me to him, then. I'm sorry, what's your name?"

Walking back to the house quickly, Dan told Arthur everything he knew, which wasn't a lot. When they arrived and entered the house to find the prince happily chatting with Lynn and Mary, a great weight visibly lifted from the King's shoulders. William looked up and he smiled widely. He jumped from the bench and jumped into his father's waiting arms. "Daddy!" Despite his intentions to be angry with his son, Arthur couldn't help but embrace the boy tightly. "William, love, you better not do something like this again! What were you thinking, running away from your guard? Do you know how worried your mother and I were? And you know your mother shouldn't worry right now."

William buried his head against his father's shoulders. "I know. Mummy shouldn't worry, 'cause my baby brother or sister is growing in her belly. But it wasn't my fault, daddy! It's the guard's fault, 'cause he didn't understand hide and seek. I was playing, but then he runned away instead of finding me. And then I runned after him and I got lost." The prince was pouting. Arthur sighed and shook his head slightly. "Did you tell the guard before you decided to play hide and seek?" The pout was even more pronounced now. "No…" the prince admitted. "Right, then it's not really the guard's fault, is it?" William shoulders dropped. Reluctantly: "Nooo…"

The other adults in the room were smiling. Arthur turned to them. "Thank you, for taking him in and keeping him safe." Mary and Dan smiled again. "It was no problem, I'm sure most people in town would have done the same." Against his neck, Arthur could hear William say "They were really nice to me, daddy." "Is there anything you need that I can help you with, as a thank you?" While Dan and Mary were trying to politely refuse the offer, Lynn spoke up shyly. "Can William come play with me and my friends again?" William perked up. "Can I, daddy, please? I had lots of fun!" Unable to deny his son, but not wanting to make the decision on his own, he improvised. "We'll see what can be done. But then you have to promise you will NEVER run away from your guard again, young man. Do you understand me?" The prince nodded eagerly. "I promise, daddy."

After a few more minutes of saying thank you, and the two children saying their goodbyes, Arthur left the house with William and returned to the castle. Gwen was waiting anxiously on the castle steps. When she saw her husband return with her son safely in his arms, she ran across the courtyard as fast as she could. Reaching them, she took over her boy with some difficulties. "William Arthur Pendragon! You are in so much trouble! What were you thinking?!" William tried pouting his way out of it, but it didn't work. For some reason, his mother was immune to his pout.

"I'm sorry, mummy. I won't do it again, I promise. Daddy made me promise already. But I made a new friend, mummy. Her name is Lynn and she's really nice. And we played with other kids and with a ball. I had fun. Can I go play with them again sometime? Lynn asked." He looked at his mother with a hopeful look on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Maybe in a few weeks, but young man, you are grounded for the next four weeks! That means no going to town, no going to see Aithusa with Merlin and no going to the training of the knights." "But mummy!" "Ah ah ah, you only have yourself to blame!"

Mother and son were walking up the steps. Arthur stayed behind to watch his wife berate his son. Fortunately, he had Guinevere, because for some reason, he rarely managed to say no to William (it was the pout and the wide eyes, he thought), so he was thankful she took charge in this case. He knew that his son would grow up to be a great man, and he couldn't wait until his next child was born.

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**AN: So, I've noticed I have quite a few loyal readers and therefore I would like to thank you all!**


	6. Sharing

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. The errors in William's sentences are deliberate, however. Enjoy!**

******Summary: Gwen and William have a conversation.**

******Thanks to reviewers somegirlinthisworld and ABVM who wanted a pregnancy/second baby and a little more of Gwen respectively. I hope you like it.**

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Gwen was getting ready for bed. It was rather late at night, so William had been in bed for a few hours already. It had been a busy day. Arthur left this morning to aid two villages that had been attacked by bandits earlier that week, so she would have the bed all to herself. But before she had time to get comfortable, a quiet voice came from the door to William's room. "Mummy, can I sleep in the big bed with you?" She turned to face him. "Is something wrong with your bed?" Both Arthur and she tried to discourage the prince from sleeping in their bed. Last year, there had been a short period when the boy had been scared to sleep in his bed because of the scary stories told by Merlin. It had been resolved quickly, though, and since then, their son hadn't come into their room more than a few times after a nightmare.

"No. But daddy said I had to take care of you because he couldn't be here. He told me I had to make sure you weren't lonely." The Queen smiled softly. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to indulge him from time to time, as long as he didn't make a habit out of it. She turned down the blankets and gestured for William to get in. "Just this once, alright?" William nodded and snuggled against her. He was careful not to hit her belly though. She was seven months along, so the pregnancy was obvious, and Arthur and Gwen had made sure to tell their son he had to be careful around her.

When they were both comfortable, William spoke. "When is daddy coming back?" "In a few days. There were bandits in two villages near the border, and he went to help the people there." The prince sighed. "I wish he didn't have to go. He's gone a lot of the time." Gwen stroked his blond hair. "He's more at home since you've been born than he was before. He doesn't like to leave this much, sweetheart." "Then why does he do it?" "Because he's the King." "But he's _my _daddy." Gwen smiled down at her son. "I know. And the people know that too. But it doesn't mean he can just abandon them. He's their King, and that means you have to share him with all the people of Camelot. In a way, that means he's sort of their daddy too."

William frowned. He didn't really understand. "How?" "It's not the same way he's your daddy, or your brother or sister's daddy. But he's responsible for all of them. He has to make sure they are safe and happy. Not all of them live in a castle, or have knights and guards to protect them like you. So if something happens to those people, your daddy has to help them. And one day, you'll take over that responsibility from him." "So I'll be everyone's daddy?" Gwen laughed shortly. "Yes. And I'm sure you'll be just as great as your father." "When will that be?" "Oh, it won't be for a very long time, sweetie. It will only be after he dies."

William's eyes widened and he struggled to sit upright. "No! Daddy can't die!" Gwen pulled him down again and started stroking his hair to calm him. "Not now, love. But everyone dies at some point. People get old, and then they die." "Old like Gaius?" "Yes, old like Gaius." "I don't want Gaius to die either, mummy." "Neither do I, he's a very good friend. But he's very old. Gaius was there when your father was born. But don't worry, Hunith and Merlin take very good care of Gaius." William seemed satisfied for the moment. He knew his nana Hunith and uncle Merlin would take care of the old physician. Hunith had come to Camelot to be closer to her son after the war, and she had taken over Gaius' duties.

"If I have a brother or sister, does that mean I have to share daddy with them, too?" "Yes, it does. And you'll have to share me, too. It doesn't mean we will love you any less, however. We will always love you. Our love will just grow bigger, so that we can love your brother or sister too." "I love you and daddy, too. Will my love grow bigger, just like yours, so that I will love my brother or sister?" Gwen looked at her son. "Of course it will. People always love their siblings. Just like your father and I love your uncles, because they are like brothers to us." "But they're not really your brothers, are they? It's more like daddy being everyone's daddy, right?"

A surge of pride went through Gwen. Even though William was only five, he seemed to understand what she was saying. "It is. But we love them anyway. You love them too, don't you?" William nodded his head. "I love you and daddy best, though."

"Mummy, can't you tell me if the baby is a girl or a boy?" "No, because I don't know either. We didn't know you were a boy until you were born either." The prince looked disappointed. "We have to wait for two more months before we can know? That's a long time." "It will be over before you know it. And the good news is, you get a whole new room, bigger than the one you have now. You can move into it in a month." William pouted. "But I like my room, why can't I stay? The baby can have the bigger room. Or we can share, like we have to share you and daddy."

"I'm glad you're willing to share, but your brother or sister will wake up and cry at night, so you'd wake up too. You need your sleep, love. And your new room will be just across the hall from ours. You'll have more room to put your toys, and a bigger bed. Don't you want all that? We can't give the baby a big room like that, and we need to hear the crying." "Oh. If it's a brother, can we share the room when he's bigger?" "We'll see. I don't think we ever asked you, but would you prefer a brother or a sister?" William didn't have to think long. "A brother! Then we can play together, and when we're older, we can fight with our swords together. And the I can teach him to play with the soldiers and the blocks." "Right, of course. But if it's a girl, you can teach her things too. Some girls like playing with blocks and soldiers too, you know." The prince frowned. "Girls are stupid."

Gwen pretended to be hurt. "Hey! I'm a girl. And isn't your new friend Lynn a girl? You liked her, didn't you?" That made William think for a moment. "You're not stupid, you're my mummy. And I do like Lynn… But I still like boys better." "I'm sure you do. However, I think your daddy wants a little princess so he can spoil her." William's eyes widened a bit. "Oh. If daddy wants a girl, then I want a girl too! Can I have a little sister, please?" The Queen laughed softly. Her little prince idolized his father. It was rather easy to change his mind about something for now. The only answer she gave was "We'll see."

After a few minutes of silence, Gwen gasped softly. The prince righted himself enough to see her face. "Mummy, is something wrong?" She shook her head and smiled at him. Then she took his hand and put it on her belly. After a few moments, William gasped too and pulled his hand away. "What was that?" "So you felt it? That was your little brother or sister kicking." A frown appeared on the boy's face. He put his head gently on her belly and spoke. "That wasn't very nice! You can't kick mummy. You have to be careful! Bad baby!"

The Queen laughed softly. When he was looking at her again, she explained. "Babies inside their mummy's belly are supposed to kick, sweetheart. If they don't, it means something is wrong. So it's a good thing you felt him or her kick, it means the baby is healthy." "Oh." He put his head back on her belly. "Alright, you're allowed to kick mummy's belly then. But only when you're inside." Then he snuggled against Gwen's shoulder again. After a few minutes of silence, when Gwen thought William had fallen asleep, his quiet voice broke the silence again. "Mummy, how do babies get into their mummy's belly?"

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**AN: Again, thank you for reading! **


	7. Big brother

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. The errors in William's sentences are deliberate, however. Enjoy!**

******Summary: William gets to be a big brother. (+ a few short moments later on in time)**

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William was supposed to be asleep. He knew that. But his mummy had been in pain before he went to bed, and then he heard someone say the baby was coming. Unfortunately, Hunith had sent everyone out of his parents' room, even his daddy. And then, daddy had carried him into his own room and tucked him in. That had been two hours ago. He had been asleep for about an hour, but then he woke up when he heard people talking in the hallway. He heard his father and uncle Merlin, but he was sure he'd heard his other two uncles too. Deciding he wasn't going to fall asleep again anytime soon, he got out of bed and opened the door. The men quieted when they noticed him standing in the doorway.

His father was the first to speak. "Did we wake you?" William nodded his head and walked over to where his father was sitting, plopping down on his lap. Arthur put his arms around him to keep him warm in the cool hallway and kissed his head. "Sorry. Do you want us to talk more quietly or do you want to stay with us for a while?" "I want to stay. When will the baby be born?" "Hunith came out a few minutes ago to tell us it won't be much longer. Ready to be a big brother?" The prince nodded his head. "I'm going to be the best big brother ever. What were you talking about before?" Merlin was the one who answered. "We were teasing each other. Remembering how nervous your father was when you were born. He's much calmer now." William frowned. "Why?" "Because I didn't know how to be a father, and I was afraid something was going to happen to your mother. This time, I know she's strong enough." "Oh. You're a good daddy, though." Arthur smiled widely at his son. "Thank you, son." Then he turned to Merlin. "See! I'm a good father, even my son says so."

Merlin smiled. "I never said you weren't. You're the one who was insecure. And besides, you weren't the only one who was nervous when their first child was born. Leon didn't fare much better." Leon, who was standing against the wall opposite the one Arthur was sitting against, blushed and muttered for Merlin to shut up. Percival hadn't said anything yet, but he was laughing quietly. Leon turned to him. "Oh, I can't wait until Aurore is giving birth. Let's see how you handle it." Percival paled. William thought about his auntie Aurore, who was going to have a baby in a few months. He already had two cousins, the sons of his uncle Leon and auntie Lily. The youngest was still too little to play with him, but the oldest often came with uncle Leon to the castle so they could play together. William was the oldest of all the children though.

They continued talking, William paying little attention to the conversation. He was getting tired, and the way his father was rubbing his back in a calming manner wasn't really helping. Then, a soft cry sounded from his parents' room. A minute after, Hunith opened the door, calling Arthur in. When she saw William, she was a little surprised. Merlin took him from his father's lap so Arthur could get up and go in. Hunith stayed in the hallway, stopping William when he wanted to follow. "Give your parents a few minutes, then you can go in." To the rest of the men waiting, she said "They're both healthy." Then she went up to Merlin, kissed his cheek and told him she was going to bed, but to call her if they needed her.

When she was around the corner, Merlin picked William up. "So, you excited to meet your sister?" he asked with twinkling eyes. William's eyes widened comically. "How do you know it's a girl? Mummy said she didn't know. And nana Hunith didn't say anything." The other two men narrowed their eyes, wanting to know the same thing. Merlin just shrugged. "I could sense it. Just like I could sense you were a boy before you were born. But shhhh, your parents don't know that." "But maybe they wanted to know if it was a boy or girl." "Where's the fun in that? Now it was a surprise. And surprises are fun, aren't they?" The prince contemplated this and nodded eventually.

Leon spoke up. "Are you telling me, that you knew I was going to have sons when you teased me about being sure I was going to have a daughter?" The warlocks eyes widened. "Uh oh, should have kept my mouth shut." "Yes, you really should have. Tell me, Merlin, am I going to have a son or a daughter?" Percival broke in. "Uhm, well, wouldn't you rather be surprised?" Merlin put William down again, starting to back away. Percival pushed away from the wall, ready to start chasing him. William grinned. He loved the silliness of his uncles.

Arthur came out of the room a minute later. He looked surprised when both Merlin and Percival were missing, but his attention soon turned to his son. He crouched down in front of him. "So, do you want to meet your sister?" William pretended to be surprised and nodded eagerly. He went into the room with his father. The first thing he saw, was his mummy sitting against the headboard of the bed, holding a bundle of blankets. Arthur went to sit next to her, leaning against the headboard too, and gestured for William to come sit in between his legs. "Do you want to hold her? I'll help you." The prince bit his lip, but then gathered his courage and agreed to hold his little sister. Arthur pulled him so he was leaning back against his chest and positioned his arms. Gwen put the bundle of blankets in his arms carefully.

William looked down at the bundle he was holding now. All he could see from his sister was a small nose, small pink lips, two closed eyes and a tuft of dark hair. "She's so little." Gwen agreed with him. "She is. But you were just as small as her when you were born. And look at how big you've become now." "I'm a big brother now." She smiled softly. "Yes, you are. That means you'll have to take care of your little sister. Think you can do that?" William didn't even have to think about this. He would always protect this little girl in his arms.

**A month later**

William was sneaking into his sister's room. Mummy said she was asleep, but he was sure he heard her crying very softly, so he was checking up on her. They told him he would have to take care of her, so that's what he was going to do. It's not like he was going to pick her up, he was just going to look. And if she was awake, he would rock the cradle for a bit, until she fell asleep again.

When he looked into the cradle, he saw a pair of blue eyes looking back at him. They were the exact same shade of his and his daddy's eyes. When Merlin had finally turned up and made a comment about how her eyes were shining like stars, his parents had decided to name her after a constellation. That was how they came upon the name Lyra. William liked it. When Lyra saw him, she waved her arms around and started cooing. The prince pulled a chair closer to the cradle and made himself comfortable. From where he was sitting, he could just manage to put his arm in between the bars of the cradle to caress Lyra's soft skin. His little sister smiled and tried to grab his finger. When she succeeded, she held on.

William didn't make any move to free his finger. He would just have to stay here then. A few minutes later, Lyra's eyes began blinking, and it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. Content that his little sister was really asleep now, William twisted a little in the chair until he was even more comfortable. After watching the girl for a while, his eyes closed and he fell asleep too, with his finger still in Lyra's grasp. That was how Arthur and Gwen found their two children later that afternoon. They smiled softly at the sight and retreated. Now that both of their children were asleep, maybe they could spend some time together without interruptions.

**Three years later**

William was standing next to his father, looking at where Lyra was playing with the son of the King of a kingdom that had allied itself with Camelot. The boy was only a year older than Lyra, so he was the perfect age to play with her. He pulled Arthur's shirt. "Dad, I don't like him." The King looked down at him. "Why not?" "He's… he's… What if he hurts Lyra?" "They're playing. They are friends." "Lyra can't be friends with boys! Only with girls." Arthur smiled. "What about Theo, Victor and Adam? They're boys too." "Yes, but… that's different. They're our cousins."

Merlin, Leon and Percival were observing the King and his heir and listening to their conversation. "I think William is a little jealous," Leon remarked. Percival shook his head. "No, not jealous. He's protective. Bit overprotective, even. Adam pulls the same face when his sister starts crying, even though he's so much younger than William. What do you think, Merlin?" "Protective, definitely." They were interrupted from continuing their conversation by a cry from the play area. When they looked in that direction, they could see Lyra was crying, because her new friend had pulled one of her braids. Closer to the three men, they could see Arthur holding William back.

"Uh oh, bad move on that prince's part. Never do that in front of William." Leon and Percival agreed. Leon was the first to speak. "Yes, making Lyra cry is not a good way to become friends with her big brother. He can carry a grudge for a long time. You know that guard, Aldric?" When Percival and Merlin nodded, he continued. "Well, remember when Lyra was three months old, and he took her from Gwen's arms to bring her to safety when that crazy man stormed into the throne room and she started crying? The man was only doing his duty. But William blamed him for making her cry. Today, he still glares at Aldric whenever he passes him." Merlin chuckled.

Percival smiled widely. "Yes, and I'm pretty sure sir Brett still regrets ever calling her a nasty brat where William could hear him. He ended up with quite a few bruises during William's next training session with him. Our prince 'accidentally' hit him on the shins quite a few times with his sword, claiming he couldn't lift it any higher. Good thing the sword was a blunt one." The three of them were laughing now. When they looked up again, they could see Lyra had calmed down. The visiting prince walked closer to her and kissed her cheek. In front of them, they saw both King and prince stiffen. Fortunately, Merlin was quick enough to create an invisible barrier, before the peace between the two kingdoms was ruined because of the overprotectiveness of the two male Pendragons.

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**AN: First of all, thanks to all of you for reading.**

**I had a look at the reviews, and most of you asked for a little sister, so I hope I made you happy. To the one reviewer who asked for a boy, well, maybe he could be a role model for his cousins. For those of you who are confused, in my mind, both Leon and Percival found love and got married after the battle of Camlann. Leon married a girl named Lily and Percival fell in love with one of the servants in the castle, named Aurore. **

**Funny fact: When I was searching for a name for the new princess and the meaning, I decided to look up the meaning of William's name; This is what I found: William: From the Germanic name _Willahelm_, which was composed of the elements _wil_ "will, desire" and _helm_ "helmet, protection".  
So, is it just me, or do you agree with me that William was just born to be protective? I chose his name because I liked it, but now I have to admit, it fits him.**

**Next chapter: 'the talk'**


	8. The talk

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. The errors in William's sentences are deliberate, however. Enjoy!**

******Summary: The talk. I don't think you need any more than that :)**

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Arthur had arrived back in Camelot this morning after a week's absence. It had been a good day. He had been in a good mood when he woke up, because he would finally see his son and wife again, and then he could spend the whole day with them. The council had long since given up on scheduling a council meeting on the day of his return. They finally noticed he always managed to disappear with his son. Some were convinced magic was being used for that, even though Merlin denied it. (No magic was used, Arthur just knew the castle well enough to evade anyone who came looking for him. And William loved hide and seek, so he got his fun too.)

But anyway, back to his good day. After spending time with his lovely wife and his handsome son (William refused to be called pretty or cute or any other adjective that could be used for girls or animals), the three of them had dinner together and then Guinevere and him had tucked William in so they could spend some time where it was just the two of them. That was where his whole day was ruined. It started something like this:

"William and I had a talk." Arthur looked at his Queen curiously. "Oh, what about?" "About a few different things. Mostly him having to share you, responsibility for your people, him becoming King one day, dying, old people, babies… That sort of things." Arthur's eyebrows lifted. "That's a lot of subjects. I suppose you were talking about his brother or sister too, then?" Gwen hummed. "He said he wanted it to be a boy, but when I said you were hoping for a girl, he changed his mind. Oh, and he felt the baby kick." The King smiled. "That's an incredible feeling. He or she awake in there? I want to feel again." Guinevere shook her head. "Not yet, maybe later. Oh, and uhm, you might need to talk to your son about something."

That made Arthur's curiosity grow. What would he have to talk about that his wife couldn't tell their son? When he stayed quiet, Gwen continued. "He asked where babies come from." That right there, that one sentence, was enough to ruin his peaceful day. He mouth fell open. It took him a few seconds to collect himself enough to react. "Wha… What?! Guinevere, he's five! He's too young to ask questions like that!" Gwen seemed more collected, but she'd had a few days to get over the shock. "What did you expect? He's getting a little brother or sister, and he's old enough to actually realize what's happening. So, you'll need to explain."

Arthur pouted (though he would never admit it, Kings don't pout). "He asked you, so why didn't you answer?" His wife narrowed her eyes. "I talked to him about all of the other things, you can take your share of the conversation. Now, do your duty and inform him tomorrow. If you don't, you can go sleep in Merlin's room. Oh, and don't you dare order Merlin to do it for you. I'll find out." For the second time that night, he was lost for words. His wife was threatening to throw him out of their room? This could not be happening. This was quickly becoming the worst day of his life (well, maybe not the worst, dying was worse.) "Now, come to bed. This may be the last night you get to sleep here, love." Still in shock, Arthur listened to Guinevere and crawled under the blankets. Knowing she had the upper hand for now, Gwen curled closer to him and fell asleep. Arthur lay awake for a long time after that.

AxG

The next morning, Guinevere reminded him about his 'duty' before she left the room. William was already up and running somewhere around the castle. His son had a lesson with Gaius in two hours, so that should give Arthur enough time to search him out and explain. While looking for the prince, he ran into Merlin. "Merlin! I need your help. You need to explain to William where babies come from." Merlin narrowed his eyes at his King. "No, I don't. Gwen told me _you_ had to do it. I just saw her." Arthur groaned. "Great…" Noticing that Merlin was trying to sneak away from him, he grabbed his friend's arm. "Oh, no you don't. She never said you couldn't help, did she? You're coming with me." He continued on his way, dragging the warlock after him, knowing his friend wouldn't dare use magic on him.

When they finally found William on the other side of the castle, they pulled him into a room and sat him down on one of the chairs, pulling their own chairs until they could face him. It was quiet for a few moments, until Arthur decided to take the lead. "William, do you know why you're here?" The young prince pursed his lips, thinking for a few seconds before answering. "No. Did I do something wrong, daddy?" Arthur softened. "No, no. It's just… well… when I was gone, last week, you… well, your mother said you…" Merlin rolled his eyes. "You asked your mother a question. Do you remember what the question was?" William shook his head.

Arthur smiled, relieved. "Great, then there is no need for this talk, is there?" He was halfway out of his chair when Merlin pulled him down again. "You're not sleeping in my room, so sit down and do what Gwen asked you to do." The King glared at him. "I'm the King, Merlin. You can't tell me what to do. And wait, she told you?!" Merlin smiled innocently. "Yes, she did. And as for the other thing, I think we've established that I can when I do it as your friend, and this is definitely advise from friend to friend." William had been watching them, trying to hold back his giggles. "Daddy, what did mummy ask you to do?" Arthur's shoulders fell. "You asked her how babies get into their mother's belly. And she told you I would explain." Realization dawned in the prince's eyes. He nodded eagerly. "So, where do babies come from?"

Arthur started babbling about birds and bees, literally, while Merlin bit his lip to keep from laughing. After half an hour of the babbling, Merlin was almost rolling around on the ground. That was when Arthur finished his tale. "So, did you understand?" William was looking at his father, confusion evident on his face. "But what do birds and bees have to do with babies?" The King groaned. "Merlin, you try." Merlin was still recuperating from laughing so hard. While he was trying to get his breath back, Percival appeared in the doorway. "Ah, here you are. I was asked to…" Arthur interrupted him. "Percival, maybe you can help. We need to explain where babies come from."

The giant knight paled and took a step back. "Aah, maybe I should just say I didn't find you. Yes, safest option. See you later." He turned around. When he took a step down the hall however, he walked into an invisible barrier. Behind him, he could hear Merlin say "Oh, no you don't. If I have to suffer, so do you." Admitting defeat, the knight came back into the room and took a chair next to Merlin, throwing him an angry look. "Gwaine would have been so much better for this," he grumbled. Merlin and Arthur spoke at the same time. "Are you out of your mind? That poor boy." and "Have you gone mad?! He would have traumatized my son!" rang through the room.

Half an hour later, they still hadn't managed to explain anything to the boy. The only thing they had managed to do was confuse him. They were interrupted again, this time by Leon. "What are all of you doing here? I was sent by Gaius to collect William. He told me he sent Percival at least half an hour ago, but he never returned." Percival crossed his arms. "Yes, well, I would have, but Merlin's holding me hostage…" Before Leon could ask why, Arthur spoke. "Leon, maybe you can assist us. Can you tell William where babies come from?" Just like Percival before him, Leon paled. Maybe it had something to do with the room. Better not to give it to a knight, if all of them seemed to become sick when entering. Merlin anticipated Leon's attempt to get away and put up the barrier again. Defeated, Leon took a chair and put it next to Arthur's.

"So, how are you going to explain this?" Leon asked his King. "Simply the basics. Birds and bees confused him, so I guess we'll have to go with boys and girls then?" When the three men around him agreed, Arthur turned to William again. Before he could start, William frowned at him and said "Daddy, I have a lesson with Gaius. Can I go?" Arthur just shook his head. "Nope, you are staying here until we finish. I'll explain to Gaius. He can be disappointed in me, instead of punishing you, alright?" "Why can't he punish you?" "Being King has to have a few advantages, doesn't it? But trust me, Gaius' disappointment is just as bad as his punishments." Next to him, he heard Merlin mutter "What do you know? You've never had to clean his leech tank, have you?" Arthur turned to Merlin to reply, but was interrupted by Percival. "Would you _please_ just cut to the chase? I've been here for almost an hour, and nothing has been explained yet. Stop distracting each other."

Both King and warlock looked reprimanded. "Right. So, William. Babies are made when a boy and a girl love each other very much. At some point, they sleep together, and the daddy gives something to the mummy and then a baby is made inside the belly. And nine months after, the baby comes out." The prince was nodding, as if he understood. "Does that mean there's a baby growing in Lynn's belly now? I love Lynn very much, she's my best friend, and we had a sleep-over when you were away and we sleeped in the same bed. And I gaved her one of my toy horses because she liked them." Arthur's eyes widened. "No! She's not! I mean…" He turned to Merlin with a desperate look on his face. "They can't, right?"

Merlin snorted. "Of course they can't. They're way to young. Arthur, did anyone ever explain how it works to you? He gave her a _horse_." The King shot him an embarrassed look. "Of course they did. One of my dad's knights did it. If I remember correctly it was your father, Leon." The loyal knight nodded. "Yes, I think he told us both at the same time." "See!" He turned back to William. "Lynn won't have a baby. You're both too young for that, son. And for now, you can still sleep in the same bed, but when you're older, you won't be allowed to anymore. And besides, you have to be married to make a baby." To himself, he admitted that being married was not actually necessary, but for his own peace of mind, he would pretend it was.

That was when they were interrupted by Guinevere coming into the room. "Here you are. Gaius came to me to ask me if something was wrong, since both Percival and Leon never came back with William and he couldn't find you and Merlin anywhere. He thought something had happened. Honestly Arthur, how many of you are needed for explaining this? All four of you? I hope you at least managed to tell him something." Arthur stayed quiet but nodded his head. "Good. If he understands the basics now, then you can tell him the rest of it when he's old enough to understand. Come along, sweetheart, Gaius is waiting for you." William jumped off the chair and took his mother's hand. Once in the hallway, they heard the Queen asking how long they had been there already. When the prince answered it had taken over two hours, they could swear they heard Guinevere say "Men! I hope you turn out braver than the four of them, sweetheart."

When they were out of hearing distance, the four men exchanged looks. Arthur broke the silence. "We have to do this again?" Percival was the first to answer. "Oh no, _we_ don't have to do anything. You on the other hand… I'm making sure I'm very far away from the castle when that time comes." Leon nodded his agreement. "Yes, I think I'll join you on that quest or patrol or something." Merlin opened his mouth, but Arthur spoke before him. "Merlin, I don't care how I have to do it, but I'm making sure you're there. Leon has two sons of his own to explain to, and Aurore is pregnant, so there's a chance he'll have a son himself. The two of them will have to do it at some point. You can be a supportive friend and be by my side." The warlock slumped in his seat, crossing his arms. "Not fair."

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**AN: Many of you wondered how they would explain this to little William. I hope I didn't disappoint you.**


	9. At night

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. **

******Summary: Arthur has to get up at night to take care of a two-month-old William.**

******This chapter was written because Miam1, one of my loyal reviewers said she wanted to read about Arthur taking care of a baby. So, here it is, I hope you like it :)**

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When Arthur crawled into his bed, it was already late at night. Guinevere had retired hours ago, but he had needed to finish some of the paperwork he had been abandoning the last few weeks. His son had been born only two months ago, and he had been spending time with both his wife and his son, putting off most of his paperwork. He still handled the most pressing issues, but things like harvest numbers weren't that pressing, since no crop diseases or burned crops had come up. There would be enough food to get through the coming months. But the pile of papers on his desk had grown too big to ignore, so he had set to work earlier in the evening. Switching off the thoughts of state matters, he curled up around his wife. Moments after, he was asleep.

An hour later however, he was woken up by his son's cries. Arthur groaned. Next to him, Guinevere sighed before mumbling.

"Your turn to change his diaper and getting him back to sleep."

"What? No, that can't be right, I got up last yesterday," Arthur argued.

"Yes, but he woke up before you came to bed, so I attended to him then. Now it's your turn." She elbowed him and practically shoved him out of the bed. "Besides, he's your son."

"Oh, right, during the day, when he's a good boy and not waking us up, he's your son. But at night, he's my son."

Gwen smiled at him.

"I'm glad you understand what I'm trying to say."

Arthur rolled his eyes and got out of the bed.

"What if he's hungry? I can't feed him, can I?"

"He won't be. I fed him two hours ago. And Arthur, you know William will be asleep much faster if you're the one holding him. It takes me half an hour, while you manage in ten minutes."

Arthur reluctantly agreed with her, but he still grumbled while walking to his son's bed.

"I still don't understand why we couldn't hire someone to attend to him at night."

Gwen had rolled over to occupy his side of the bed.

"Because I don't want my son to be raised by servants and nannies. I want us to take care of him ourselves. And if you're honest to yourself, Arthur, you know that's what you want too. Even if that means getting up at night."

The King sighed, but he knew his Queen was right.

When he got into his son's room through the doorway connecting it with his own, he saw William lying in the cradle he had occupied himself when he was just a baby. The cries had quieted down somewhat. Picking him up, Arthur discovered his wife was right. A pungent smell was obvious, so a diaper change was necessary. He kissed his son's head softly before putting him down on a flat surface to change his diaper and whispered to him.

"You love making me squirm, don't you? Where's your uncle Merlin when I need him, huh? Oh, right, he's asleep in his bed on the other side of the castle, where you can't wake him up."

As if the boy understood what Arthur was saying, he smiled up at him. The King's eyes softened even more. William had started smiling only a week before. Arthur remembered well, because he had been in a council meeting when Gwen came running in unexpectedly, carrying William. "He smiled at me! His first smile! Oh, it was so lovely. He had dimples, Arthur. You should have seen it!" Arthur, who had been ready to draw his sword, expecting news of an attack, pulled back his hand and went up to his wife and son. From the corner of his eye, he saw Merlin relaxing, falling back into his chair with a grin on his face. The expressions of the council members were divided. The younger ones, who had become part of the council after Arthur became King, were smiling. The older ones (except Geoffrey and Gaius) looked disapprovingly at Guinevere. After a quick promise to spend time with William later, Gwen had gone back to their chambers and Arthur had continued the meeting.

When Arthur had changed the diaper and disposed of the cloth that was now soiled, he picked William up. The newborn prince had stopped crying by now and was looking up at his father with his big blue eyes. Gaius told Arthur that the boy looked exactly like Arthur when he was that age. The King settled down in the easy chair they had put in the room. Noticing the cool temperature, he grabbed a blanket that was folded over the side of the cradle and wrapped it around his precious boy. He held his son securely in his arms. William seemed to find comfort there and cooed happily. Arthur freed his one hand and stroked his son's hair softly. Like he did when he was only just born, William grabbed at his father's finger. Arthur let him hang on.

It took only a few more minutes before William's eyelids began drooping. Guinevere was right, the prince always fell asleep faster in Arthur's arms. When it happened, the older Pendragon always felt warm inside. It felt like the feeling he got when Guinevere was by his side, but different, and somehow more intense. He knew it was love, even though he rarely expressed it out loud. And the kind of love he felt for the little boy in his arms was unconditional.

When he was certain William was asleep, he stood up carefully. He extracted his finger from the infant's grip and put him down gently, but not before kissing the new-born's head again. He kept looking at him a few moments longer before returning to his own bed. When he was under his blankets again, he realized that, however much he complained about having to get up at night, he wouldn't miss these quiet moments alone with his son for the world.

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**AN: Thank you for reading! Until the next chapter :)**


	10. Parenting

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

******Summary: Arthur considers the differences between his childhood and that of his children. Takes place a few years after Lyra was born.**

******This was written, because an anonymous reviewer prompted me to write a story about the differences between Arthur's way of parenting and Uther's. There are some points where I speak about it, but not always, so I hope you're not disappointed. Well, I hope you're still reading the story, at least, because it's been a while since you asked.**

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Arthur was standing by the window overlooking the courtyard. He was supposed to be working, but he had been distracted by familiar laughter from outside. He was looking down now, having spotted the source of the laughter. Observing what was happening on the courtyard, he smiled. When he felt arms slide around his waist from behind, he jumped before he recognized the body against his back and the smell surrounding him as his wife's.

"What has you so distracted that you didn't even hear me come into the room? Usually, you're aware of everything happening around you."

Arthur pulled Guinevere in front of him so she could see what he was looking at. Putting his arms around her this time, he spoke.

"I heard Lyra's laugh outside, and when I searched for her, I found her playing with William and Merlin. Well, I found William and Lyra chasing Merlin. I suspect they're pestering him for a story or a display of magic."

Gwen laughed and leaned back against her husband. They continued observing their children and their best friend. When she saw Lyra and William jump on top of Merlin before tickling him, she winced slightly.

"They're almost torturing him into doing their bidding. You must be so proud."

"Of course I am, I taught them that," Arthur said with a laugh.

"Poor Merlin. As if having you as a friend isn't bad enough yet, you have to set your children on them," Gwen teased him. Arthur pulled one of her curls gently before answering.

"Oh yes, poor Merlin, definitely. Come on, love, he's enjoying this, look at him, he's smiling."

"It could be a fake smile, you never know."

Arthur rolled his eyes.

"I know how his fake smile looks, and that isn't it. You know, too. It's the one he gave Morgana in the year before we knew she was betraying us." Somewhat more somber, he continued. "It's the one he was giving us during the last few months before Camlann, because he was tired of hiding his magic."

"It wasn't your fault, Arthur. None of us saw through it, none of us noticed."

"I know, but he was my best friend, still is. I knew him better than anyone, so I should have been the one to see it."

Gwen turned in his arms and put her hands on his cheeks.

"It doesn't matter anymore, does it? It's been almost ten years. The two of you have no secrets anymore. And you're right, I know what his fake smile looks like, and let me tell you something, I haven't seen it since before Camlann. Look at him, Arthur, he's happy."

Looking down at the courtyard, he had to agree with his Queen. Spotting his best friend, he started laughing. His two children were sitting on Merlin, while the warlock pretended to try to get up. William was sitting on his stomach with his legs on both sides of the man's ribcage, while Lyra was sitting on Merlin's chest. The people who were crossing the courtyard were smiling at the silliness of the two children and the warlock. That made Arthur think back to his own childhood. Noticing that her husband's thoughts seemed far away, Guinevere left him alone.

Seeing his own children playing and showing affection publicly, Arthur noticed the difference with his own childhood. He had been allowed to play, yes, but at the same time, his father cautioned him to always be on his best behavior, to not show any weaknesses. He had been trained to be a prince from the moment he could understand what people were saying. His whole childhood, he had been under scrutiny. Rolling around on the courtyard would have been seen as inappropriate behavior for a prince. While William had started his training with a sword and his education as a prince, Arthur refused to stop him from playing around. His son deserved a chance to be a child, and not a miniature adult. William was his heir, yes, but he was first and foremost his _son_. And that made all the difference in the world. Because, while Arthur knew his father loved him, the fact that he had used magic to produce an _heir_ said enough.

Arthur wanted to raise William to become a good and fair King, just like he was said to be. But it hadn't always been that way. Admittedly, Arthur had always tried to do the best thing for his people when he was still a prince, but before he met Merlin, he had been arrogant and rude. He hoped his son would not develop those characteristics. He was fairly sure the boy wouldn't, though, considering he was raised in an entirely different way. While Arthur had been spoiled, getting everything he wanted except his father's undivided attention, Gwen taught William the value of objects and of people. Sure, sometimes Arthur came home after a visit to another kingdom with presents for his children, but they never specifically asked for them. They were always waiting at the gate to give him a big hug, glad that their father had returned safely once again.

Arthur had been warned not to show how he felt in public, since his opponents would see it as a weakness. But for a boy who always cared too much, it had been difficult, so growing older, he had resorted to being rude to most people around him. It made people stay away from him, preventing the prince from forming attachments and showing emotions. He didn't have any friends. It had been lonely, but it was the only way he knew how to deal with it. Merlin, and then later Guinevere, had broken through his shield before Arthur could stop it. Much later, when he realized emotions were not a weakness, but part of his strength, he let other people in, beginning with his most loyal knights.

William didn't have a problem with showing how he felt, he smiled quickly and he was always ready to make a new friend. The citizens of Camelot were used to the prince wandering around the lower town or playing with their children. If Arthur had to make a guess, he's say that his son had entered at least half of the houses in the lower town already, having been invited in to have something to drink or eat a cookie. While the King still had one of his knights trailing the prince everywhere he went, he knew his son was safe. If someone would try to attack William, there would always be a brave citizen who would put himself in between the prince and his attacker. William had truly worked his way into the hearts of the people. And Lyra was on her way to do the same thing if Arthur was not mistaken.

The King knew he had the loyalty of his people, but that loyalty had been extended to his wife and children, too. Nothing could make him happier than that, since it meant that the citizens of Camelot would accept his son when he had to take his place on the throne. The future of the kingdom was ensured, and everything he had tried to build for his son would not have been built in vain.

Throwing a last look at where Merlin was now conjuring bubbles for his children to chase, he smiled. As if the warlock knew he was being observed, he looked up to meet Arthur's eyes and waved. Arthur answered him with a nod and closed his window. He would let his children play and enjoy their childhood. Because, just as William was his son first and heir second, Arthur was a father to his children first. Being King came a long way after that.

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**AN: I hope you enjoyed it :)**


	11. Girlfriends and courting

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

**Summary: William has a crush. **

**Somegirlinthisworld prompted me to write about William's first crush. So here it is, I hope you like it :-)**

* * *

Arthur was sitting behind his desk going over some papers, when William entered the room. He came to stand next to the desk, fidgeting slightly. Arthur shifted his attention to his six-year-old son.

"Yes? Is there something you need?"

William shook his head no, but then seemed to change his mind and nodded.

"You're awfully quiet. Is something wrong?"

"No. But… Daddy, I saw one of the knights kissing a girl, but they're not married. And then when I asked uncle Percival, he told me the girl was his girlfriend."

The King pushed back his chair and picked William up to sit in his lap.

"I don't really see the problem with that."

The prince looked up to meet his father's eyes.

"Lynn is my friend, and she's a girl. Does that mean she's my girlfriend? And that I have to kiss her like the knight did?"

Arthur smiled at his son before answering.

"No, it doesn't. A girlfriend is something different than a friend who is a girl. A girlfriend means that the boy, or knight in this case, is courting the girl. It means that he takes her out to dinner and he gives her small presents sometimes…"

William's curiosity got the better of him, so he interrupted.

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he's hoping to get married to the girl."

"But what if she doesn't want to get married to him?"

"Generally, when she's kissing him, it means she likes him back and that she wants to marry him."

"Oh. So Lynn's not my girlfriend, and I don't have to kiss her?"

"No, she's not. And no, you don't have to kiss her if you don't want that."

William contemplated this.

"Okay."

"Was that all?"

The prince nodded and got ready to jump from Arthur's lap.

"Really? You only came up here to ask me about that? Not to give your lonely dad a big hug?"

William grinned widely before throwing his arms around his father's neck and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I love you, daddy."

Arthur hugged him back, and when they pulled back, he kissed his son's forehead and ruffled his hair.

"I love you, too, William. Now, go on, back to playing. I have a lot of paperwork to finish, and your uncle Merlin doesn't want to help me."

When William was out of the room, Arthur chuckled. His son was still so innocent and he had no trouble expressing how he felt about something or someone. He hoped the boy would hold on to that openness.

_**AxG**_

Later that night, when Arthur was leaving the prince's room after tucking him in, William called him back.

"Daddy? What if I wanted Lynn to be my girlfriend?"

The older Pendragon was so surprised that he almost fell over when he turned back to look at his son. He hadn't expected this, although, now that he thought about it, William and Lynn were rather close. But they were way too young… Maybe William just had a crush on Lynn. It didn't mean they were going to get married, definitely not anytime soon. Not that Arthur was opposed to the girl, she was always very friendly and well-mannered. And he couldn't exactly refuse her because she wasn't a noble, since he married a servant himself. Love (and crushes) didn't take blood into account.

"Oh, well, then maybe you should ask her out?"

"How do I do that? How did you ask mummy?"

Arthur sat himself on the bed again.

"Well, I'm not sure. I didn't even know I liked your mother, and then suddenly, I realized that I really wanted to kiss her. And your mummy didn't like me very much, I think. She'd yelled at me shortly before that."

William's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Mummy yelled at you? She never yells, only when I've really scared her or she's very, very mad at me."

"Well, uhm, it doesn't really matter, does it? But I decided to be nice and offered to prepare dinner for us."

"But you can't cook," William remarked with a frown on his face.

"Thanks, son, glad to know you believe in me…" At the mischievous smile on the prince's face, Arthur continued. "Okay, I had Merlin get something from the kitchen. But it's the thought that counts. We had a nice dinner, but then afterwards, I accidentally insulted her, and we fought again. And just when we were making up, your uncle Merlin interrupted. I kissed her the next morning though."

"What happened after that?"

Before Arthur could answer, Guinevere stepped into the doorway, wondering what took so long. He waver her closer. When she was closer, he pulled her in between his legs. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"We couldn't be together. I loved your mother, but my father wouldn't have approved."

"Why not? Mummy is the best mummy ever. And the best Queen." Gwen smiled at the compliment from her son.

"Times were different then. I was the prince, and your mummy was a servant in the castle. She wasn't a noble woman, and my father expected me to marry a princess or the daughter of a lord."

"Lynn is not a noble woman either. Does that mean I can't marry her?"

"It doesn't matter, because you should marry the person you love, sweetheart. If that is a noble woman, then that's okay, but if it's a servant or a girl from the lower town, that's okay too," Gwen spoke.

"Your mother is right. I married her in the end, didn't I? When I became King, I changed that. Because you can't help who you fall in love with. Besides, we didn't always keep away from each other. We courted in secret for a while. I gave her flowers, sometimes. And I took her on a picnic."

"Oh, so I have to give Lynn flowers and take her on a picnic, and then I can kiss her and marry her?"

Gwen's eyes widened. Her little boy was planning to get married already? Arthur was the one who answered.

"Flowers definitely help. And a picnic is always romantic. But maybe, before you kiss her, you should ask her if she wants to kiss you too. And no talk of marriage yet. You're too young for that."

"Okay, daddy. Can I go picnic with Lynn tomorrow then?"

"We'll see how the weather is tomorrow. For now, it's time for you to sleep. Good night, sweetie," Gwen told him before kissing him on the forehead and leaving the room. Arthur did the same and followed his wife. Once in his own bedroom, he saw that Guinevere was looking at him questioningly.

"What was that all about?"

"I think our son has a crush. But it started this morning, after he saw one of the knights kissing a girl." He told her about the conversation he'd had with William earlier that day. Gwen sighed.

"He's growing up so fast."

"He is. But don't worry, I think it'll be a long time before he's actually getting married. And then you'll still have Lyra, who will never get married if I have any say in it. But if you want, we could always try for another little boy," Arthur suggested. Guinevere laughed before coming closer and kissing him.

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**AN: Thank you for reading. **


	12. The trouble with girls

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

******Summary: Lyra is being courted. Unsurprisingly, Arthur and William don't like it.**

******So, a lot of you asked for more Lyra, and some specifically Lyra courting. Here it is :-) Enjoy!**

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It was a beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining brightly, there was just enough wind to make the trees rustle slightly and to make the temperature bearable. The birds were singing. Flowers were showing all of their bright, beautiful colors. Bees were buzzing around them. None of that explained why the King and crown prince of Camelot could be found outside, though. They were not enjoying nature. In fact, they were cursing the good weather, since there were ants everywhere, especially when they had to duck behind a bush in the palace gardens and they just happened to disturb one of the anthills.

Now, you might question why they were behaving in a manner so undignified for royalty. The answer was really simple though: Lyra was in the palace gardens. With a boy. Alone. (Well, not alone, her former nurse was there to keep an eye on them, but that didn't reassure the King and crown prince. And of course, Arthur and William were there, but no one was supposed to know that.) Lyra and the boy were walking hand in hand, talking to each other. Occasionally, the boy would say something funny and Lyra would laugh. William had to hold back his growling and only just managed. The King wasn't doing much better.

Fortunately, the princess and her companion were oblivious to their presence. The pair stopped and sat down on the bench a few meters away from the bush where Arthur and William were hiding. It gave them a good view of the two on the bench. Now, if only these ants would stop being so annoying. William was trying to brush them away from his skin. Next to him, his father was doing the same thing. Their movements made the bush rustle however, and the two on the bench were alerted to their presence. When Lyra stood up, the two blonds looked at each other and spoke in unison "Uh oh."

Before they knew it, the princess was standing in front of them, towering over them, since they were still kneeling on the ground. It was a strange feeling, since they were both a head taller than her when standing up. She was sixteen and not likely to grow any further. She had her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Arthur and William scrambled to get up and get some of their dignity back.

"Daddy, William. What are you doing here?"

"I was… instructing your brother on how to… make sure the gardeners do their job well? He has to know these things." Arthur had been preparing his son to become King for a while now. When William turned twenty-one a few months ago, he had taken up his title as crown prince of Camelot. Arthur was still in full health, but the future was never set in stone, so he had to make sure his son was prepared to take over his responsibilities when the time came. Maybe Lyra would believe his excuse for being in the garden. William nodded his head to try and convince Lyra. Considering her eyebrows were raised and the scowl stayed on her face, she didn't believe them.

"Really? And have the gardeners done their job well?"

"Well, uhm, the bush was in good health, so yes," Arthur answered her.

"Hmm, and what about the ants?"

"Those are, annoying, but they are… part of nature?" William tried.

"So you weren't here to spy on me and Derrick?"

Both Arthur and William pretended to be offended.

"Of course not! What do you take us for? Spying isn't dignified. And if we wanted to know, we would have sent one of the knights or one of our cousins," William told her. Arthur elbowed him, muttering "Not helping, you're only getting us in more trouble," under his breath. Lyra's eyes narrowed further.

"I believe your inspection of the garden is finished, no? Then you can go inside and leave me and Derrick in peace now."

Arthur frowned, not wanting to leave his little girl here without supervision (her old nurse didn't count).

"No… We still have to… check the grass. And the trees. And the… the pond."

Lyra smiled innocently.

"Oh, in that case, maybe we should let you continue your inspection without being in your way." She turned to her companion. "Come on, Derrick, we can take a walk around the castle and the courtyard. We're disturbing my father and brother in their matters of state."

They walked back to the castle, leaving Arthur and William gaping after them.

"What just happened?" were the first words that came out of William's mouth.

"I'm not sure. But I think your sister just outsmarted us…"

William started cursing. Arthur didn't even try to scold him for it, he felt the same way.

_**AxG**_

An hour later, after Lyra had spotted her father and brother watching her through the window, she confronted them again. It quickly turned into a shouting match.

"I knew you were spying on me! Why can't you just let me enjoy the afternoon with Derrick? I like him!"

William and Arthur spluttered. The King was the first to speak up after that.

"Because you're my daughter! And he's not good enough for you!"

"But I like him! And he's the only one who was brave enough to even consider talking to me."

"He didn't even ask me if he could court you!"

"Did you consider that maybe he wanted to get to know me first, before committing to courting me? And besides, as if you would have said yes!"

"I would have considered it!"

"Right, like you've considered the ten or so men who came before?" At Arthur's surprised look, she continued. "Or did you think I didn't notice? You and William have been scaring away any boy who wanted to court me, or any boy who wanted to just befriend me for that matter! I just never said anything about it because I didn't really like any of them."

"We didn't scare them away!" William protested.

"Yes you did."

"Alright, maybe we did. But if they're scared of us, they don't deserve you!" The prince argued.

"Even if that's true, I don't want you to try to scare Derrick away! I really like him."

"But, Lyra, love, he's not good enough for you." Her father's words made Lyra sigh.

"Daddy, no boy will ever be good enough for me, according to you."

"You're right. Because you're my little girl. And fine, I can see you're grown up now, but that doesn't mean I have to like it when someone threatens to take you away from me."

Lyra rolled her eyes.

"He's not threatening to take me away from you, daddy. But if no boy is good enough for me, how am I supposed to get married?"

"I don't want you to marry anyone. Well, not until I'm dead at least. After that, I suppose you can do whatever you want." William frowned when he heard his father say these words, but refrained from speaking. Lyra sighed again.

"Daddy, you can live for another twenty or twenty-five years. By that time, I'll be an old, ugly lady, and no one will have me."

Arthur frowned. An old, ugly lady? That wasn't true. Lyra looked exactly like Guinevere. She had her mother's brown, curly hair, her nose, lips and chin, her mother's figure. She even had her mother's laugh. The only thing she got from Arthur was his eye-color. Her eyes were the exact same blue as his and William's.

"You won't be an ugly lady! Every year, you look more and more like your mother. And she's still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen! So you certainly won't be ugly. You're exaggerating. You'll have no difficulty finding a husband. They'll be waiting in line to meet you."

"Yes, and they'll still have to get past William… Daddy, please? Don't scare away Derrick."

Arthur's shoulders fell. He didn't really have a defense against his daughter's pleading tone.

"Fine, I won't scare him away.

Lyra turned to her brother. "And you, promise me you won't do anything. And no setting our cousins on him, or our uncles. Promise me, William."

William just stubbornly crossed his arms and refused to promise.

"I'm serious, William. I'll tell mum all about it if you do anything to keep Derrick away from me."

Now that scared William enough. His eyes widened. The Pendragon males may be scary sometimes (especially when it came to protecting their relatives), but that was nothing compared to the females. He quickly promised to behave when it came to Derrick. That didn't mean he couldn't interfere in the future if other boys or men wanted a chance with her.

* * *

**AN: Thank you for reading!**


	13. Comforting

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.** **Mistakes in Lyra's sentences are deliberate.**

**Summary: Merlin needs comforting. Who else but little Lyra could cheer him up?**

* * *

Merlin still could believe it. It couldn't be true. Gaius couldn't be dead. Who was supposed to scold him and Arthur for behaving like idiots now? Alright, he could admit that Gaius had been old. Really old. But that didn't mean he had to die, did it? Gaius was like a father to him. He'd guided Merlin for over eighteen years. And now the man was gone.

His mother had requested his presence in the physician's chambers yesterday morning. Gaius' health had been steadily getting worse the last few months, so it wasn't like they hadn't prepared for this. Merlin and his mother stayed by the man's side until he drew his last breath. Arthur, Gwen, Leon, Percival and their wives had all come in to say goodbye. Even William had come. But all of them left the room again, to give Merlin, Hunith and Gaius their privacy to say their goodbyes. When the old physician died late in the afternoon, Merlin didn't hold his tears back. Half an hour later, he left the room, only to find Arthur waiting for him outside. The King hadn't said much. He just walked Merlin to his rooms and told him he didn't have to worry about any of his duties until he felt up to it. The warlock nodded his thanks, Arthur would understand him even without words. Before he closed the door, the last thing he saw was Arthur's sad, understanding smile.

It was morning now, but he didn't feel like getting up. He didn't need to anyway, no one was waiting for him. At ten o'clock, he got up, got dressed and dropped down in one of the comfortable chairs in his chambers. If someone needed him, they would find him eventually. After half an hour of staring at the walls aimlessly, he heard someone grappling at the door. Then the door opened and he heard a whispered 'go on' before a three-year-old girl slipped into his room. The girl watched him with wide eyes.

"Lyra. Is there something you need?"

The girl shook her head of dark curls but came closer to where he was sitting. Merlin followed her progress in silence. When she finally reached him, she tried to climb in his lap. Seeing her struggle, Merlin picked her up. Finally seated where she apparently wanted to be, Lyra threw her arms around Merlin as well as she could manage.

"Daddy sayed that you were sad about Gaius."

Seeing no reason to lie to his best friends' daughter, he nodded.

"I am."

"Why?"

"Because… Well, because he was like a father to me. He helped me a lot. And I loved him."

"He looked like he was sleeping when daddy taked me to him. Sleeping is good."

"Sleeping is good, yes. But Gaius won't wake up again, sweetie. And I'm going to miss him a lot."

"Oh." Lyra was quiet for a moment. "I'll miss Gaius too."

Merlin smiled sadly, knowing the little girl would probably forget about Gaius. She was too young to really know him. He hugged her closer though. When he let go of her a minute later, she looked up at him with big, pleading eyes.

"Will you show me magic, uncle Merlin? Magic makes me happy! Does it make you happy, too?"

Her enthusiasm made Merlin smile a real smile this time. Lyra was crazy about magic tricks. So he blew out some air through his lips, making bubbles come out of his mouth. The little princess giggled and tried to catch them. After all the bubbles had disappeared, she turned to him with sparkling eyes. Knowing she wanted to see another trick, Merlin blew into his cupped hands. When he opened them, there was a daisy inside, which he tucked behind her ear.

"Can you make me a butterfly?"

"What do you mean? I can conjure one for you. But I won't turn you into a butterfly, Lyra."

She urged him to conjure one. Again, he blew into his cupped hands, but instead of just one, a whole flock of them appeared when he opened his hands, in a whole array of colors.

"Can you really turn me into a butterfly?"

"I can, but like I said, I won't. Your daddy would never forgive me if I did that."

"Why?"

"Because butterflies can fly. And so you could fly far away from here and get lost. How would I have to tell your daddy that you got lost because you were a butterfly?"

"I won't fly away, uncle Merlin, I promise! I'd miss mummy and daddy and Will. I love them! And I'd miss you too, and uncle Leon and uncle Percival and Theo and Victor and Adam and auntie Lily and auntie Aurore and…" Lyra continued her list of people (and animals) she would miss. Merlin just looked at her with a fond smile.

When she was done listing her loved ones, the young princess turned her attention back to Merlin.

"Are you still sad?"

"A little bit."

"Oh," Lyra's shoulders fell at his answer. "I wanted to make you not sad anymore."

Merlin hated seeing her so disappointed.

"But I'm only a little bit sad now. You're helping me, sweetie. I think you just need to talk a little longer and then I'll feel a lot better. Can you do that?"

The girl beamed at him and started talking again. She told him all about her adventures in the castle and about her cat and quite a few other subjects. She succeeded in making him laugh with all of her stories. When he looked up again, he found Arthur leaning against the wall next to the door. Lyra noticed she had lost his attention and looked in the same direction Merlin was looking. Jumping from his lap and running up to her father, she pointed out her success.

"I can see that, love. Now, can you go find your mummy? You know the way from here to our room, don't you? It's just around the corner."

Listening to her father, Lyra ran out of the room, leaving the two men in silence.

"You put her up to this, didn't you?"

Arthur just shrugged.

"Thanks. I think I needed it."

"You did. And I figured, since she always manages to cheer me up, whatever mood I'm in, it was worth giving it a try with you."

"You just did it because you're shoddy at comforting someone yourself, you prat."

Arthur tried to bite back his smile, but was unsuccessful. "What are you talking about? That was me comforting you. And it worked, didn't it?"

Merlin snorted, but had to admit Arthur was right.

"Come on, I need some fresh air," he said instead.

The two of them walked out together.

**_AxG_**

Even though Lyra had managed to cheer him up for a while, Merlin still missed Gaius though. But when he felt a small hand slide into his a few days later at Gaius' burial, he knew there would always be someone around to bring a smile back to his face.

* * *

**AN: Thank you or reading. Sorry it took a few days, but I had a busy weekend. I hope you'll forgive me :)**


	14. Unexpected

******AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

******Summary: Arthur found out Gwen is pregnant. Seven and a half months later, she's ready to give birth. In the timeline, this comes before chapter 2 in this series.**

******Written after prompts from one of the guest reviewers and ABVM. So, thank you for your support and ideas/inspiration.**

* * *

Merlin found Arthur in the throne room, sitting bent over, leaning his elbows on his thighs and head in his hands. A few parchment scrolls that had been on the table after the council meeting were scattered all around. Something was wrong, Merlin could see that, but he didn't know what. Everything had been going alright since they came back from Camlann only three months ago. He hadn't heard about any trouble with the harvest or about an army trying to invade the kingdom. Their friendship had been rocky, but they were getting through the rough patch. Still, Merlin was hesitant when he spoke.

"Something wrong?"

Arthur's answer was short. "No."

"Come on, Arthur. I know you well enough to know something is bothering you."

"Right, but apparently I didn't know you well enough to know when something was bothering you, or even that you had magic." The King's tone was bitter. Merlin felt hurt. He knew Arthur had the right to be angry, but he didn't think this had anything to do with him, which meant his friend was just using him to work out his anger. He decided to let it slide for now.

"You're trying to deflect. Are you going to tell me what's wrong? Does it have something to do with Gwen? Did you have a fight? I saw her on my way here, and she looked upset."

Apparently, he just said the wrong thing. Or the right thing, depending on how you wanted to look at it. Arthur stood up and crossed the space between them before Merlin could blink.

"Don't… I don't want to talk about it. It's nothing. Just… Leave it, Merlin."

"Okaay, I'm sorry I mentioned it?" Merlin was confused and his eyes must have shown it, together with betraying he was feeling hurt, because Arthur closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. The warlock stepped back to leave the room.

"Merlin, just… wait. I didn't mean… It's just, Gwen surprised me. And I didn't expect it at all. And God, you said she was upset? I reacted all wrong. I should have… I don't know, kissed her and hugged her or something? I…" Merlin interrupted him.

"Okay, slow down. I don't even know what you are talking about."

"Gwen's pregnant."

Merlin made a sound of disbelief, but then laughed joyously. "That's great! Congratulations!" He stopped speaking after that though, seeing the guilty look on Arthur's face.

"Yeah, that's how I should have reacted, right?"

"You didn't? I thought you wanted a family of your own?"

"I froze. I didn't know what to say. And then I asked her to leave me alone. I do want a family. But, Merlin, what if something happens to Gwen? I can't lose her. And I'm scared." He sat down on one of the chairs around the table. Merlin took one of the other chairs and turned it so he was facing his friend.

"This is different, Arthur. And maybe you should tell Gwen what you're telling me now. She needs to know how you feel about it. And she needs to know that, really, you are happy. Because I know you are. You're just a little slow in processing your feelings, so you didn't get there yet."

Arthur cuffed the back of his head for the last remark. "You're right. Uhm, any idea where I could find her?"

"She's _your_ wife, how should I know? But you could try your chambers. Just, make sure you're ready to defend yourself. I wouldn't want you to die only a few months after I saved you."

The King rolled his eyes and stood up. When he reached the door, he turned back to his Merlin. "Thank you." The only answer he received was a smile and a nod.

**_AxG_**

Arthur followed Merlin's advice and found his wife in their chambers. She was lying on the bed with her back to the door.

"Gwen." When she didn't answer, he tried again. Still no answer. "Guinevere."

"Leave me alone, Arthur."

Arthur ignored what she said and laid down behind her, putting his arm around his wife. She tried to shake him off.

"I'm sorry. I reacted poorly."

Gwen huffed.

"I thought you wanted this. That you would be excited… I guess I was wrong."

Arthur sighed and shook his head.

"You weren't wrong. I do want children, Guinevere. I just… I didn't expect anything like this, not anytime soon at least. You surprised me. I know there's no excuse for me reacting like that. But can we talk about it?"

"Would you leave me alone if I said no?"

Arthur huffed a short, self-depreciating laugh. "No. I talked to Merlin and…"

Guinevere interrupted him. She turned around and pushed him away, all the while glaring at him. "Oh, so you can talk to Merlin, but not to me?"

"And, he told me I should talk to you instead of him. I agree with him. I didn't tell him everything, you know?"

"But you did tell him I'm expecting."

"Yes, well, he kind of annoyed me until I told him… You know how he is." The Queen tried to hold back a smile, but didn't quite manage.

"So, I want you to know that I love you, Guinevere, and I do want a family. With you, only with you. But I'm afraid of losing you. My mother died giving birth to me. And I don't want that to happen to you. I don't know how I would go on. I'm afraid of becoming like my father, of not being there for my child. And when you told me, that was the only thing I could think of at that moment. And the happiness you were expecting, it got stuck behind those thoughts. It was only after you left, that I could think about the happy things. And then I got angry at myself for hurting you."

Sometime during his speech, Gwen had taken his hand. Arthur was looking down, not meeting her eyes.

"Arthur, look at me." When he looked up, she continued. "It will be alright. _I'll _be alright. We didn't use magic to create a life, we created a life by loving each other."

"But a lot of women die giving birth. I can't lose you, Guinevere, I wouldn't know what to do without you."

"I can't promise you to stay alive. But I'm still young, and healthy. Gaius said there should be no problem. And, love? You would go on, loving our child. You have friends who would help you. I have no doubt that you will be an amazing father, with or without me. You will always be there for our child, or children, helping them grow into amazing people. You will teach them about right and wrong, about truth and honor, about fighting, but also about loving. You will be there, every step of the way. Because I know you. You are not your father. He loved you, but too often you doubted that. Our child will never be able to have any doubts about your love."

Arthur smiled at the passion in his wife's voice. This was why he loved her so much. The quiet strength, the wisdom of her words, the way she believed in him even when he didn't believe in himself, the love she gave so freely. Because, even though she had only known about this baby for a few hours, he could see how fiercely she loved it already.

"Okay. So we're really having a baby?"

"Yes, really. You're going to be a father."

"Wow," Arthur was still amazed when she put it like that. "I am. And you're going to be a mother. A fantastic mother, the best any child could ever hope for."

"Thank you for these kind words, love. But it doesn't mean you're entirely forgiven. I just haven't figured out a way to properly punish you yet… that will have to come later." So for now, she just put her head on his shoulder and made herself comfortable enough to fall asleep.

**_AxG_**

Over the next few months, Arthur's punishment became clear. He was forced to serve his wife and was woken up more than once at night to run down to the kitchen because she was hungry. He supposed all men who were going to be a father had to go through this, so he didn't complain. Well, except for that first week. He'd tried to make Merlin do some of the serving, but Gwen had quickly nipped that in the bud.

Now, seven and a half months after their talk, Gwen was huge and ready to give birth. Not that Arthur would tell her she was huge, of course. He had an excellent sense of survival, after all. He didn't mind the way her belly bulged either, because she looked radiant to him. Every time he looked at her, a smile appeared on his face. It didn't mean he was happy to be woken up by her at night however. Especially since it was the fourth time this week, and most of the time she just complained about not finding a comfortable position. He groaned.

"Gwen? What's wrong now?"

"Arthur?" There was something in Guinevere's tone that made Arthur more alert. He sat up and turned to look at her.

"Uhm, I think my water broke."

That was enough to get Arthur out of the bed and in some clothes in ten seconds flat.

"Right. The baby's coming? Now? What do I do? Oh! I need to get you to Gaius…"

"Arthur," Gwen called.

"Do you need help getting up?" He went to her side of the bed. "Do you need anything?"

With some more urgency "Arthur."

"Can I get you anything?" Before he could go on, Gwen grabbed his arm and almost shouted. "Arthur! You need to calm down. And Gaius needs to come here, I can't give birth in his chambers, there's not enough light. So go get Gaius."

"I can't leave you here alone! What if something happens?"

"Oh, for God's sake, there are guards in front of the door, order one of them to get Gaius. You are hopeless in crisis situations. How did you ever survive all of the attacks?"

Arthur was already running in the direction of the doors, thinking about a thousand things. He was so distracted that he didn't even think about his words.

"Merlin."

Gwen laughed slightly behind him. When Arthur was ordering the guards to get Gaius, and to get Merlin while they were at it, he heard his wife groan behind him. He didn't hesitate to go to her.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain?"

"Arthur, stop panicking. What did you think? Childbirth hurts, love."

"Right, right… Can I do anything to help?"

Gwen lifted her eyebrows. "If you want to take my place, please do."

The King paled. And then started pacing. The Queen observed him in the time between contractions.

"And where is Gaius? I sent for him five minutes ago!" He was not a patient man.

"Arthur, Gaius is an old man. You can't expect him to run up all of these stairs. I'm not going to give birth in the next few minutes."

He continued pacing, even though Gwen tried to tell him to calm down. When Gaius arrived ten minutes later, the Queen was ready to kick her husband out of the room. As if he could read her mind, the physician ordered the two guards to take Arthur outside. The soon-to-be father objected of course, so the two men hesitated, but followed Gaius' order when they saw the Queen give the okay. Once they had wrestled Arthur out of the room, Gaius turned the key in the lock. Outside, Arthur started knocking and later pounding on the door.

"You can't do this! Gaius! It's my room, you can't just lock me out!" Behind him he heard someone tell the guards to leave them, but he paid it no attention. "That's my wife and child in there, Gaius! Let me in!" When he first felt the hand on his shoulder, he shrugged it off and continued yelling. Only when the hand grabbed his arm to turn him around did he look at the person with him. Merlin. Of course it would be Merlin.

"You need to unlock the door. Gaius locked me out."

Merlin shook his head. "No. He locked you out for a reason, Arthur. You're panicking. You need to calm down."

"I'll calm down once I see Guinevere is alright!"

"No you won't. Arthur, calm down. Nothing's going to happen to Gwen. But you standing out here, pounding on the door and yelling will only stress her out. So just, relax, and wait with me out here. I sent someone to get Leon and Percival. We'll wait out here with you."

Arthur glared at Merlin, but seeing that the warlock wouldn't back down, he closed his eyes and sighed. Ordering Merlin around wouldn't be effective, since the man never listened to him if he thought it was for the best. "Fine, just… fine. I'm calm, see?"

His best friend snorted. "Hardly. But I suppose you're calmer than a few minutes ago at least. You scared the guards away."

"I did not! I heard you send them away."

"Alright, I did. They saw enough. Wouldn't want them to witness their King breaking down, would we?"

"_Mer_lin?"

Merlin knew that tone. "Shut up?"

"Exactly."

They stayed to wait in front of the doors to the royal chambers. Leon and Percival joined them a few minutes later. Together, they settled down to await the birth of the first prince or princess in Camelot.

* * *

**AN: So, that was it. I tried to make it compatible with chapter 2 of this series and I hope I succeeded. Thank you for reading!**


	15. Heartbeats

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

**Summary: A quiet night with the family. In the timeline: a few months after Lyra's birth.**

**This is a short story, I know. Some of you asked for a story with baby Lyra. Other's asked about the relationship between William and Arthur after her birth. I tried to get both aspects in this story, but I'm not sure if I really succeeded. But still: Enjoy!**

* * *

When Arthur entered his rooms that night, he found his four-month-old daughter on a blanket in front of the fireplace. Someone, probably his wife, had built a makeshift wall of pillows between Lyra and the fire. William was curled up against Gwen in a comfortable chair. He kissed his wife on the lips and his son's head as a greeting and then went to lay down on his side next to his daughter. Observing the way she was kicking her legs and waving her arms, he smiled. Then he looked back up at his wife.

"How did they behave today?"

"They were good. Although, Gaius said William didn't pay attention during his lesson." She stroked the boy's hair while saying this. Arthur's attention turned to his son.

"William?"

"It was boring. And I wanted to stay with Lyra."

"I'm happy you love your sister, William, but you know Gaius' lessons are important. You need to know how to read and write. Nothing will happen to Lyra, I promise." He kept looking at William until the boy nodded and promised to pay attention in the future. After that, he turned his eyes back to the little girl at his side. She was still wriggling around on her back on the blanket. When Arthur held his hand above her, she tried to grab his fingers. He allowed her to wrap her little hands around one of his fingers.

After a few minutes, Lyra seemed to get bored with his finger. He picked her up and rolled on his back, putting her on his chest. She was lying on her front now and the change of perspective fascinated the little girl. She cooed when she saw her big brother and her mother. When she put her head down on his chest a few minutes later, he stroked the dark curls on top of it. Her eyes started drooping, but she fought sleep.

"Daddy?"

Arthur turned his head to try to look at his son. "Yes?"

"Can I come lay down with you and Lyra?"

Arthur smiled and patted the blanket next to him. William jumped out of the chair and curled up against his father this time.

"Lyra is falling asleep."

Gwen spoke up from the chair. "She's probably lulled to sleep by your father's heartbeat. It's a comforting sound to babies. To all people, in fact."

"Really?" William sounded disbelieving.

She hummed. "Yes. You fell asleep within five minutes when we put you on your father's chest. It was the best way to get you to sleep. And I like falling asleep to the sound of his heartbeat, too."

"Oh. Can I try?"

"You'll have to change sides, then. My heart is on the left. Maybe you should wait until we put Lyra in her bed."

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, until Gwen got up and took Lyra from her father's chest. "I'll tuck her in. she's fast asleep. I take it you boys don't want to move?" She smiled gently.

Once she was through the door to Lyra's room, William got up and walked around Arthur, only to lay down again on his other side and put his head on Arthur's chest, above his heart.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you love Lyra more than me?"

Arthur was surprised by the question. He raised his head to look at his son, but William was avoiding his eyes. "Hey, where did that come from?"

"You played with her when you came in and I only got a kiss. And you don't tuck me in every night anymore. And sometimes you don't even come to give me a kiss."

The older Pendragon sighed. "Of course I don't love your sister more than you. I love both of you the same. You looked comfortable with your mother earlier, so I didn't want to disturb you. I know I don't tuck you in every night, but it's because I'm quite busy at the moment. And I do come to give you a kiss every night! You're just already asleep sometimes. Would you feel better if I come a little earlier?"

William nodded.

"Okay, then I'll come earlier."

They stayed silent after that. When Gwen returned a few minutes later, she found her son almost asleep curled up against her husband. Arthur smiled up at her and motioned for her to come lay on his other side, so she made herself comfortable there. It had been a good night for them as a family. The only thing she could wish for now, was many more nights like that.

* * *

**AN: Thank you for reading.**

**To the guest reviewers (those who give a name and those who don't): I may not really answer your reviews, but I read and appreciate all of them. I also try to keep into account what you say about the stories. And I hope you realise that I do try to write something when you give me a prompt!**


	16. The druid boy

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William! And Lyra, and Corin (and the other children and wives if mentioned)**  
**Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

**************Summary: A druid family it attacked in Camelot, which changes Merlin's life. Timeline: Somewhere between 10 and 11 years after Camlann.**

* * *

Camelot had been peaceful for the last ten years. Crime was low, since the knights and guards had enough time for patrolling, now that they didn't have to prepare for war. Occasionally, there was a fight, but most of those could be counted as bar fights. No attacks on the King had been made since Camlann. Well, there was the one time that crazy man stormed the castle, but he wasn't trying to kill the King, really.

Magic-users were living amongst non-magic-users ever since Arthur had abolished the laws against magic after Merlin had come clean. It had taken a while for Arthur to put all Merlin's lies behind him, but he couldn't really blame Merlin for everything, could he? He had made his own mistakes. He had let his friend down. The first few days after their return to Camelot, things had been tense between them. Leon, Percival, Gwen and Gaius had noticed. While Gaius knew the reason and Gwen had guessed it only a few days before, Percival and Leon were confused. So Merlin had told them the truth. The next few weeks were spent telling them about all the things he'd done for Camelot, for Arthur, and sometimes for the knights themselves.

Things stayed tense for about a month after that, but Arthur forgave Merlin and asked for his forgiveness too. After that, they cooperated to abolish the laws. Sending Merlin away was not an option, so the laws had to go. Soon, the first magic-users trickled into the city. At first, people were suspicious of them, and they tried to stay away. The thirty years of hating magic wouldn't disappear all at once. Everyone knew that. But even so, everyone in Camelot knew Merlin and his loyalty to Arthur was known throughout the kingdom. The more open-minded people quickly changed their minds when they heard about Merlin being magic. The most stubborn people still threw him angry looks, even after ten years. But even they had to admit that life in Camelot had never been better.

Merlin stayed at the castle. He still worked as an apprentice for Gaius, but shortly after Camlann, Hunith had arrived in Camelot, and she took over most of his work for Gaius. The old physician was training her to take over for him. Arthur had fired him as his servant and employed another boy, but Merlin stubbornly kept waking him up in the morning, bringing breakfast with him. The warlock left most of the other tasks to the boy however. He just insisted on the morning ritual, claiming Arthur would never get out of bed otherwise, since his new manservant just didn't know how to handle him. So Arthur continued to throw goblets after Merlin, and Merlin continued to insult his King. Even ten years later, that part of their relationship hadn't changed.

What had changed, though, was Merlin's position in the court. After some heated debates with the council, he had given Merlin the title of Court Sorcerer. With a matching hat. A pointy one. Merlin hated it, so he hid it somewhere in the back of his closet. Which was a lot bigger now, since he got a new room in the castle, closer to the royal bedroom. He wasn't opposed to the bigger room, but he had his suspicions that Arthur had given him that room so he could send his children to annoy Merlin. They often showed up in his room when they were bored. Merlin didn't mind though. He loved William and Lyra. Since he didn't have children of his own, never even searching for love after Freya's passing, he doted on those of his friends. He never thought fate would intervene like it did, though.

Since Camelot had been so peaceful for over ten years now, no one expected the nice family of druids to be brutally attacked and murdered one night. Arthur and Merlin woke up to the warning bell and jumped out of bed. They were the first to enter the small house where the family had lived. There were three corpses in the middle of the room. A man and a woman, and their son of about ten. Arthur cursed. They had been too late. One of the neighbors had run to get a knight when they heard screams, but the warning bell had played in the attackers' favor. Merlin went outside to talk to the neighbor who had warned the knights. Five minutes later, he returned to Arthur's side.

"Something's wrong. The neighbor told me they have two children, and there's only one here, the oldest. So either the attackers took the little boy, he ran away or he's still here somewhere. He's only four, Arthur. We have to find him."

The King pushed a hand through his hair and then nodded at Merlin. He ordered some of his knights to search the neighborhood and a few others to look for tracks of the attackers. After that, he told Merlin to start searching the house, going to the backroom himself. It was Merlin who found the little boy, his magic a useful tool, since he could sense the boy's magic. The boy was hidden in a cabinet, curled up. He started panicking when he saw Merlin had opened the cabinet, pleading not to hurt him, telling him he was a good boy and he would never use magic again. Arthur returned to the room quickly when he heard the boy's cries. Merlin tried to console the boy, telling him he was there to help, that he wouldn't hurt him. The boy was exhausted, but it still took him fifteen minutes. When the little one stopped his panicking, Merlin made to pick him up. Arthur stopped him, speaking quietly so the boy couldn't hear.

"Merlin, he can't see what happened to his parents. We're blocking his view now, but to get him outside, we need to get past them. Is there any way you can, I don't know, make them invisible to him or something? He's been through enough already."

Merlin nodded and concentrated. Arthur could see the air around the family shimmering. When he finished the spell, Merlin picked the boy up and stepped outside. The child was still hiccupping, but it seemed to trust the warlock enough to put his head on the man's shoulder. When they entered the castle, Arthur spoke.

"You can put him in William's room. The bed is big enough, and maybe the presence of another child will comfort him."

"Yes, maybe. But wherever we put him, I'm staying with him anyway." The King nodded his approval.

"I'll speak to William about it."

He didn't have to wake up his son however, because the ten-year-old prince was standing in the doorway of his room, waiting for his father to come back.

"Dad? What happened?"

"A family was attacked. William, this boy was alive when we found them, we didn't find out his name yet, but could he sleep in your room tonight? He may be more comfortable in your presence than mine or one of the knight's. If you can, find out his name. But try not to ask him any questions about what happened. If he talks about it, then fine, but he may be traumatized. Just, if you find out anything, tell me or Merlin. Merlin will stay in your room, too, but he'll keep his distance."

William nodded his agreement. He was proud his father trusted him with this.

"Good. Try to get some more sleep. It's only around three. Sleep well, son."

"Good night, dad."

He let Merlin enter his room. The warlock put the boy down on the side of the bed William normally didn't occupy and pulled the covers over him. The boy had been in his night clothing already and was wearing no shoes. He stroked the child's hair once and then retreated to the chair on the other side of the room. William crawled in next to the little boy, who was fast asleep by now.

**_AxG_**

The next morning, Arthur and Merlin could be found in Merlin's private chambers. They were discussing what had to happen to the boy now. They found out his name was Corin and that his mother had hidden him in the cabinet while his father had been trying to keep the attackers out. William had been a large help in getting the information out of him. Corin seemed to trust him more easily, since he was the same age his brother had been. They had already decided to keep the druid boy in the castle, where he would be safe, until they found the attackers.

"Arthur, what happens to Corin after the culprits are found?"

"I don't know. I'd say an orphanage, but more than likely, there will be other druid families who would take him in or one of the tribes outside the city will request to take him."

"Hmm, does anyone know if he has any family left?"

"Not that I know of." Arthur was watching Merlin who had a pensive expression on his face. Under that, he could see the worry and the affection for the young boy. "You started caring for him, didn't you?"

"Did you expect anything else from me?"

Arthur smiled. "No. So what, you have another option for Corin?"

"Maybe."

Suddenly, Arthur understood. "You want to take him as your ward." It wasn't even a question. Merlin looked up at him, biting his lip.

"Would you mind? I mean, I love your kids, and Leon's and Percival's. But I'll never have kids of my own, not after…" Arthur closed his eyes. He knew Merlin was talking about Freya. He wished he could go back in time, find another solution to the bastet problem. He still felt guilty, even though Merlin had told him he'd forgiven him years ago.

"Merlin, you shouldn't even have to ask. You know I won't stop you. In fact, if you hadn't offered to take him as your ward, I probably would have at some point." The look Merlin threw him was pure gratitude. "Come on, I've got to speak to the people about crimes against magic-users in an hour and you still need to write my speech."

Merlin snorted at that. "If your people only knew how lazy you are…"

After the speech Arthur gave, none of the druid families in or around Camelot came to the castle to offer to take the boy in. Apparently, they accepted the fact that Merlin would take care of Corin. That was how Merlin became a parent. And of course, that was how Corin got his own large family of knights, royals and their children. (It should be said, under Merlin's care, Corin flourished, and his magic became a lot stronger. Some days, the King, warlock and knights regret the decision of taking him in, especially on days where all of their children managed to pull of their mischief thanks to Corin.)

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**AN: Thank you all for reading!**


	17. Swords

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!  
****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

**************Summary: William's first lesson in sword fighting.**

* * *

Gwen was making the bed when her son came running into the royal chambers. Arthur had left a few minutes earlier to go wake him up, but considering William was already dressed and wide awake, she figured he had been up for a while already. She could have expected this.

"Mummy! Look what daddy gave me for my birthday!" He was waving around a wooden sword excitedly. Gwen frowned slightly, but managed to hide that from her son. She pretended to be happy for him, not willing to ruin his day. When Arthur entered the room, she narrowed her eyes at him. Her husband understood, and tried to get William's attention.

"William, I'm sure your mother has seen you wave around your sword enough for now. Maybe you should show it to Merlin. I'm sure he'll be just as excited."

Gwen waited until their son was out of hearing distance before turning to her husband. "A sword? Arthur, he's too young! What were you thinking. We talked about this."

"We talked about it last year. And I agreed with you then. But he's six, he'll have to start at some point. If it makes you feel better, I plan to be the one to teach him. At least until he has a better understanding of it."

"I don't want him to get hurt, Arthur."

"Neither do I, but that's why he needs to learn how to fight. He's the prince of Camelot, the heir to the throne, whether you like it or not. It's a minority, but some people will try to go after him. I want him to be able to defend himself, or at least give him a chance to hold them off until he gets help."

He had a point there, but Gwen wasn't about to give up. "Still Arthur, a sword? You couldn't start him off with bow and arrow?"

"I plan to teach him that next year, so we can go hunting together."

"Arthur…" Arthur laughed softly at the exasperated expression on her face.

"Guine_ver_e, relax… Besides, it's a wooden sword. It's not like he can harm himself with that, besides a few bumps and bruises. He's not going to impale himself on a wooden sword, so don't worry. Now, if it were Merlin, however, I'd say you have reasons to be worried."

A laugh and a huff sounded from the direction of the door. "Hey! I heard that!" When they looked that way, they found a laughing William and a pouting Merlin. Arthur tried to hold back his own laugh but failed. Guinevere just rolled her eyes.

"Fine. But Arthur, you better make sure my son comes back to me in one piece, or I swear, you will sleep on your own for a long, long time."

**_AxG_**

William showed up for his first lesson with a sword ten minutes early, bouncing excitedly. Arthur watched him waving his sword around for a few minutes before making his presence known. Merlin had come to the training area with him and veered off to go sit at the sidelines.

"So, you ready?" When William nodded, Arthur continued. "Good. I need you to put aside your sword for now." Disappointment appeared on his son's face.

"I thought you were going to teach me how to fight with a sword? Then why do I need to put it aside?"

The King understood his son's disappointment, so he tried to explain.

"I will teach you how to use your sword, son. But first, I want your stance to be steady. I need to know how strong you are. And you need to be able to stay upright when someone uses force. When someone strikes at you with a sword, that force could push you over if you're not steady on your feet, so we'll practice position and posture first."

William's shoulders fell, but he listened to his father and put his sword away.

"Good. Now, stand up straight, one foot in front of the other. Like that, but a bit wider. Don't keep your legs totally straight, bend your knees a bit. Exactly. Now, I'm going to give you a push. Try to stay upright. If you can, keep this position, but it's okay to take a step backwards. Ready?"

When William nodded, Arthur pushed him, making his son end up on the ground. He winced.

"You pushed too hard!"

"Right. This isn't going to work." At his son's crestfallen expression, he hastened to add. "I mean, we need someone who's closer to your strength. I didn't mean we should give up. But I'm a lot stronger than you. It would be better to start with low pressure and then go up from there, to build your strength. Eventually, you'll have to be able to fend off people who are stronger than you are. Like I have to do with Percival. But we'll start easier." He winked at his son before saying the next words loud enough for the people around to hear. "Maybe we should start with Merlin, he's weaker then you."

William laughed from his position on the ground. Merlin wasn't as amused and scowled in his direction before a wicked smile appeared. The next moment, Arthur felt his legs being pulled from under him. He ended up lying on the grass next to his son, who was laughing even harder now. He sent a glare at his best friend and then stood up, reaching down to pull William up, too.

"Alright, we'll work on stability another time, when there are other children around. Go on, pick up your sword. I'm teaching you the practice routine first." He went to the side of the field, where a rack with swords was standing and picked up the wooden sword waiting for him. He couldn't use a metal one against William's wooden sword. Ruining his son's sword on the first day wouldn't be very helpful.

He called Merlin to assist him in showing the routine to William. After going through it a few times, starting slow but going a little faster every time, he dropped his sword.

"Okay, now, show me how you hold your sword." He watched as William gripped his sword tighter. "Right, loosen your hold a little, like that, yes. Both hands on the hilt for now."

He started explaining the best way to swing the sword in a fluent arc and how to move his feet. It took a while before William mastered everything, but by the end of the lesson he had managed to perform the whole routine smoothly. He even made it seem effortless. Arthur was proud of him, and he didn't hesitate in telling him that, making William beam up at him.

"Come on. Let's go show your mum you're okay, so she can stop worrying. We'll continue tomorrow. We'll start with repeating this routine again, until you can do it without even thinking." He put his sword away and wrapped his arm around William's shoulder. Together, they left the training grounds and walked up to the castle.

* * *

**AN: Thank you all for reading. It has come to my attention that every time I introduce a new character, some of you really want to hear more about them. And I try, but I can't write that fast, so you'll have to be patient. But I will get there!**


	18. Sick

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!  
****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. Mistakes in Lyra's sentences are deliberate.**

**************Summary: Lyra is sick. Arthur doesn't like it, and spends some time with her.**

* * *

Arthur was standing in the doorway of his daughter's bedroom when he heard Merlin come up behind him. He didn't turn away from the three-year-old girl though, waiting until his friend was close enough to hear him whisper.

"Merlin, I need you to heal Lyra." He heard a sigh coming from behind him before Merlin spoke, keeping his voice low.

"Arthur, I can't do that, you know that."

Merlin's refusal made the King turn around.

"You're the most powerful magic-user ever, and you can't do something simple like healing my daughter? You managed to heal me!"

His voice had gotten louder, so Merlin tugged him away from the door before shutting it.

"I can't, because you know I'm rubbish at healing magic. And I wasn't the one who saved you, remember? It was the Sidhe. Arthur, Lyra has the flu, it's not so bad. And even if I could heal her, I wouldn't." When he saw Arthur's anger, Merlin continued. "Because it's no good to use magic for things like this. If I heal her every time she's sick, she'll never develop an immune system and she'll only get sick more often. So just, wait it out."

Arthur's shoulders slumped. "I hate seeing her like this, lying in bed all day. She's always full of energy, running around the castle and playing with the other kids."

"I know you hate it. I don't like it either. But all children get sick, it's normal. And I promise I'll interfere if she's getting worse than this. In a few days, she'll be better and she'll drive you crazy with her mischief again. Just, let her sleep it off for now."

"Fine. But she better not die, you hear me? Or I'll feed you to your own dragon."

Merlin scoffed. "Huh, as if. Aithusa wouldn't eat me. She likes me better than you."

That made Arthur smirk at him. "Maybe. But she likes William even more. I'm sure I'll be able to convince him to ask Aithusa." His words earned him a glare from the warlock, who stalked off right after that.

**_AxG_**

Arthur hated leaving his daughter alone, but he had a council meeting he couldn't miss. Fortunately, Gwen would be able to stay with her. Right after the meeting, he returned to her room to take over watching over his little girl. When he entered the room, Lyra was awake.

"Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. My throat hurts, daddy. And my head."

Arthur went to sit on the side of Lyra's bed. He touched the back of his fingers to her forehead to feel her temperature. She was still running a fever, but it seemed lower than this morning. Her cheeks were still flushed, however. He ran his hand over her hair, smoothing it down.

"Did nana Hunith give you something?" Lyra nodded her head in response.

"She gaved me honey for my throat and telled me to sleep and then my head wouldn't hurt anymore. But I sleeped and it's still hurting, daddy."

"It will get better, sweetie. You'll see, in a few days you'll be as good as new and you'll be driving your nannies crazy again."

"Will you tell me a story, daddy?" Arthur looked at the hopeful expression on his little girl's face. He couldn't really refuse that look. It seemed he waited a little too long to answer, though, because Lyra pouted up at him. "Please, daddy?"

"Alright. Move over so I can join you on the bed."

Lyra didn't hesitate and moved to the other side of the bed, leaving him enough room on the bed to lie down. Once he was stretched out, Lyra curled against him, seeking his warmth. He put his one arm around her, using the other to stroke her long, curly, dark hair.

"Ready?" When he felt Lyra nod against his chest, he started the story. "Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince in Camelot…" Only to be interrupted by his daughter.

"Like William?"

"Yes, like William, but he was a little older. The prince was already one of the knights, and was named crown prince a while before. He had a best friend, a sorcerer, but he would never have admitted that to anyone. He loved to call his best friend names, but he never meant them. And his best friend liked insulting him, too, calling him a clotpole or a prat."

"Like you and uncle Merlin?"

"Exactly! You're a very smart girl, love. So, one day, a lady from another kingdom came to Camelot with her servant. She went up to the castle and showed the seal from her father to the King, telling him about an attack on her home. The King offered her a room in the castle, so she could stay there. What no one knew, however, was that the lady wasn't really a lady."

"Oh? What was she then, daddy?" Lyra was trying to stay awake, but Arthur could hear that she was close to falling asleep.

"She was a troll, but she used her magic to look like a lady. The sorcerer found out, but he couldn't tell anyone, not even the prince. Only the sorcerer's uncle believed him. The troll-lady used her magic again, to put a spell on the King, so he would fall in love with her. She succeeded, and the King decided to marry her. The prince didn't like that at all, however, but he couldn't say anything, because the King wouldn't have believed him because he was enchanted. His best friend, the sorcerer, tried to counter the troll's magic, but he wasn't successful. The troll felt his magic, off course, so she tried to get him out of her way, by trapping him in a part of the dungeons. The sorcerer escaped, but he was too late to stop the marriage."

Arthur looked down for a moment, because he hadn't heard Lyra in a while, which was strange, since the princess was normally insanely curious, interrupting his stories more than once. He found his little girl fast asleep. Smiling softly at his daughter, he tried to get up without jostling her. Once he was out of the bed, he pulled up the blankets and kissed her head softly, before leaving the room. He hoped his little girl would be better soon, but in the meantime, he wouldn't mind spending some quiet time with Lyra like he had only a few minutes before.

* * *

**AN: Thank you all! Hope you liked it.**


	19. Family trip

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!  
****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. Mistakes in Lyra's sentences are deliberate.**

**************Summary: The royal family takes a trip. Lyra meets Aithusa for the first time.**

**************This is only the first part, and it's a bit shorter than usual. I apologize, but I haven't had a lot of time to write the last few days, and no chapters left that are finished. I hope you like it anyway!**

* * *

Arthur was standing next to his horse, saddling it. Next to him, Guinevere was doing the same thing to her own horse. Their children, nine-year-old William and four-year-old Lyra were waiting on the steps of the castle. Merlin was preparing a horse for William, who would be riding on his own, while another horse was waiting for him. Lyra would be riding with either Arthur, Gwen or Merlin. They were going on a family trip. Well, family and Merlin, since the warlock refused to let the entire royal family leave the castle for a few days without some protection. Arthur had just rolled his eyes and agreed, secretly pleased that his best friend was joining them.

When everyone was ready, they rode away from the castle and the town. They continued riding through the woods for a few hours, listening to Lyra's chatter from her perch in front of Gwen. Arthur wasn't sure who she got that from, since both he and Gwen were rather quiet most of the time. Although, now that he thought about it, his daughter spent a lot of time with Merlin, so maybe she got that from him. Merlin was also the one who encouraged Lyra to keep talking every time she fell silent by asking her about something else, throwing a grin at Arthur.

After their lunch, Lyra joined Arthur on his horse. The talking during the morning had worn her out and she fell asleep shortly after they started riding again. Arthur tightened his arm around his little girl and lowered the pace. Merlin was riding next to him, with Guinevere and William behind them. By the time they reached their destination, the clearing next to the lake of Avalon, the sun was almost setting and all of them were tired. Merlin used magic to set up the two tents, one for him and the children and one for the King and Queen. Arthur and Gwen took care of the horses, while the prince and princess dropped down near the edge of the water. It was quiet all around them, they only heard the sounds of nature. Unexpectedly, Merlin raised his voice.

"I know you're there, Aithusa. Don't think I didn't notice you following us for the last hour. You may as well show yourself."

A white dragon appeared from over the trees. She was bigger than the horses by now. The horses retreated as far into the trees as they could, while Arthur and Gwen stepped into the clearing. Lyra looked scared and ran to her parents to hide behind Arthur's legs, certain that her daddy would protect her. William, however, cheered and jumped up, throwing his arms around the dragon's neck the moment she landed. Aithusa curled her neck around the boy in some sort of dragon-embrace. That made Lyra peek from behind Arthur.

The King wasn't the dragon's biggest fan, which was understandable, since this was the same dragon that had attacked him while helping Morgana. But if Merlin said she was sorry for that, then he would trust his judgment. Besides, Merlin was a dragonlord, so he could control Aithusa if necessary. The white dragon bowed her head in his direction.

"King Arthur, Queen Guinevere," she greeted them. Merlin had tried to heal her and had managed to enable her to speak. She still bore the scars, however, and her voice would always be rather raspy for a female dragon, but it was better than being mute. Both Arthur and Gwen nodded at her in response. Lyra was even more curious now.

"The dragon can speak?"

Merlin smiled. "Yes, she can. Her name is Aithusa, and she won't hurt you. Would you like to come closer? She likes being petted. And look, she's friends with William."

Lyra stepped out from her hiding place and slowly got closer. Merlin took her hand and went with her. When they stood next to William, Merlin encouraged her to reach out. She did so and slowly stroked Aithusa's head, who held still so the girl wouldn't get scared. After a few minutes of tentative stroking, Lyra stepped a little closer.

"Hi! I'm Lyra."

Aithusa huffed a laugh and smiled. "I'm Aithusa. Pleased to finally meet you, princess Lyra. I've heard a lot about you."

Lyra looked surprised. "Oh! Did William tell you? Or uncle Merlin?"

"Both of them. They say you're very sweet. And I have to agree with them."

"I am! But you're sweet too. Will you come sit with me?"

The dragon and the little girl moved off to where Lyra and William had been sitting before, joined by William. Arthur rolled his eyes and turned back to the horses. Merlin smirked and went to collect some firewood and stones to start building the fire pit. When he had enough of them, he called out to the white dragon again.

"Aithusa, could you make yourself useful and light the fire?"

Aithusa did so, breathing a puff of fire. Lyra jumped at first, but then clapped her hands and hugged her new friend. They continued talking happily after that.

* * *

**AN: Thank you for reading. I'll try to continue this as soon as possible!**


	20. Family trip, part 2

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William!  
****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. Mistakes in Lyra's sentences are deliberate.**

**************Summary: the family trip continued.**

**************Thanks to larasmith, who actually prompted me to write about a family trip.**

* * *

Later that night, after Gwen and Arthur had put their children to bed, they were standing in the tent opening looking at them. Arthur was embracing Gwen from behind. He kissed her shoulders softly before moving his lips closer to her ear.

"You sure you didn't have an affair with Merlin, resulting in a lovechild? I swear, sometimes Lyra is so much like him…"

Gwen laughed softly, but elbowed him all the same. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, there was the never-ending chatter this morning. You only start prattling when you're nervous and I was never one to keep talking. And she has everyone wrapped around her finger from the moment they meet her. Merlin is the same, you know. And then, she makes friends with a dragon? Who does that? Except for Merlin, that is."

"William loves Aithusa and you know it, so your last argument is invalid. Everyone likes Lyra, but you know everyone in Camelot loves you as their King, so she could get that from you. Both of you, and William too, just attract that sort of loyalty. And, well, the chattering… Have you thought about the fact that she just spends a lot of time with Merlin? William was taught by Gaius, but Merlin is Lyra's teacher. And besides, she's a little girl, and all little girls love talking. I did, when I was younger. She's your daughter, Arthur, and you don't even want her any other way. She has your blue eyes, if you need any proof." Gwen was smiling, knowing that Arthur had just been joking.

"You're right. But Merlin has blue eyes too, so that doesn't prove anything."

Gwen turned around to look at her husband with a big grin on her face. "Just how do you know that? Do you spend a lot of time looking at his eyes?"

"Hey! That was uncalled for! I do _not_ look at his eyes."

"Shhh!" Gwen pushed him out of the tent so they wouldn't wake their children. "You asked me if I had an affair with him, I think you'll find my comment wasn't that uncalled for, love." Arthur hated admitting that she was right, so he just kissed his wife to shut her up.

When they stopped kissing a few moments later, Arthur noticed Merlin sitting on a boulder close to the water. He was seemingly staring at nothing, but the King knew better. Guinevere noticed her husband was distracted and looked over at Merlin too. She sighed.

"Go on. He needs a friend."

Arthur grimaced. "Maybe you should go, you know, I'm kind of bad at…" He trailed off.

"You're his best friend. I'm sure he'd appreciate it more from you, even if you're bad at it."

"Fine, I'll go. I'll see you later, alright?"

When Gwen nodded, he turned and set off in Merlin's direction. He arrived at the boulder and sat down next to the warlock, nudging him at the same time. Merlin fell sideways, and he would have fallen off if Arthur hadn't grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Honestly, Merlin. How can you even fall when you're sitting?"

"Well, I wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't pushed me, you prat! There's barely enough room for me, and then you decide to sit on the same boulder. There's a perfectly good one over there, you know?" He pointed at a rock a few meters further down the shore.

"I thought you could use some company." Merlin looked at his King and sighed.

"I'm fine. Just… thinking."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Really? Seems to me there's a lot of memories connected to this place for you. Some people would say it helps to talk about it."

"I don't know if I can. You almost died here, Arthur. And Freya…" Merlin stopped talking. Arthur stayed silent for a few minutes.

"Would you have been able to help her? If I hadn't…"

Merlin shrugged. When Arthur chanced a look at his face, he could see the hesitance.

"I'm not sure. I could have tried, and I would have done everything I could. And, in Camelot, she seemed to calm down when I appeared. She let me get close. But curses are… The witch who put the curse on her was strong, so the curse was strong too. And sometimes, the only way to break a curse is to convince the one who cursed you to lift it. So, I don't know."

"I just… I wish you could have told me." Merlin just hummed. They continued sitting on the boulder in silence for a few more minutes before Arthur squeezed Merlin's shoulder and stood up.

"I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late, Merlin, William and I want an early start."

The warlock turned around as best as he could. "Oh no, I'm not going hunting with you! I have something planned for Lyra and Gwen. You can leave without me, I'm sleeping in."

Arthur laughed before leaving his friend and entering his tent. Merlin turned back to look at the lake again. He had been sitting there alone for about half an hour before he noticed the surface of the water moving. It made him sit up straighter. When Freya appeared a minute after, his breathing hitched. He stood up and walked closer to the lake, his toes touching the water. He didn't say a word until she was right in front of him, on the shore.

"Freya?" was all he managed to choke out.

"Hello, Merlin. It's good to see you. How have you been?"

Merlin swallowed before speaking. "I miss you." He felt a hand stroking his cheek, contradicting his thoughts that she was a ghost. She was really there, in front of him. He did the only thing he could think of, and pulled her into a hug. The hand moved to the back of his head, stroking his hair this time.

"I missed you, too. But you didn't answer my question. How are you, Merlin?"

"I'm okay. I have Arthur and Gwen and Leon and Percival. And their kids. They are amazing. They keep me busy. And most days, I'm happy, really. And when I'm not, Lyra always manages to cheer me up. She's wonderful. She's Arthur and Gwen's daughter, four years old, and the sweetest girl you can imagine. Just, sometimes, it's lonely. Everyone has someone to be with, except me."

Freya pulled away from him to watch his face. "You won't be alone forever, Merlin."

Merlin looked down. "I can't imagine loving anyone else."

The girl in front of him smiled softly. "You'll see what I mean."

Suddenly, Merlin felt a pull on his trousers. Looking down, he found Lyra standing next to him. Freya took a step back. "Who's that, uncle Merlin?"

Merlin smiled a bit and picked her up. "Someone very important to me. Her name is Freya. Freya, this is Lyra."

Freya smiled sweetly at Lyra, who smiled back, although a little shyly. "Hello, Lyra. It's a pleasure to meet you. Merlin has told me about you."

Lyra's eyes widened. "He did?" Freya just nodded. Lyra kept looking at the girl in front of her. "You're very pretty."

Freya smiled widely. "Thank you, Lyra. You're very pretty too, the prettiest princess I've ever seen."

The little girl blushed and turned to look at Merlin. "I like her! She's nice, uncle Merlin. Are you going to marry her?"

Merlin tried to smile, although it looked a bit pained. "I can't, Lyra. I wanted to, a long time ago, but Freya has to stay here, and I live in Camelot." Lyra's face showed her disappointment.

"Oh… Is that why you're sad sometimes?" Merlin nodded. The girl turned back to Freya.

"Can't you come live in Camelot? I don't want uncle Merlin to be sad anymore."

Freya smiled a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Lyra, but I can't. I don't want Merlin to be sad either. So, can you do something for me?" When Lyra looked at her questioningly, she continued. "Every time you notice he's sad, I want you to cheer him up. I've heard you're very good at that. Will you do that?"

Lyra nodded enthusiastically. Merlin spoke up then.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, Lyra? I've got a surprise for you tomorrow, so you'll need to be well rested."

"A surprise? For me? What is it?"

Merlin chuckled. "Well, if I told you now, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it? Go on, back to bed with you." He put her down. Lyra pouted a little.

"Will you tuck me in, uncle Merlin?"

"Get back in your bed alone, and I'll be there in a minute to tuck you in, alright?"

"Okay. Bye, Freya, goodnight." She walked back to the tent after waving at Freya.

"Goodnight, Lyra."

Freya turned back to Merlin. "You were right. She's the sweetest girl I've ever met."

"She is. She's got that from Gwen, I think. I never thought Arthur could make something so sweet."

Freya stepped closer to him again. "Maybe not, but he cares about you, Merlin, a lot. So it's only natural that his children will, too. And right now, there's a four-year-old waiting for you. You should go."

Merlin swallowed. "Will you be here if I come back out afterwards?"

Freya shook her head. "No. This is goodbye for now, love."

Merlin looked at his feet, so Freya lifted his chin until he was looking in her eyes. Then she kissed him softly. When they parted, Merlin breathed in deeply.

"Will I see you again? Because you're not always here when I visit the lake."

"You will. But even if you don't see me, you know I'm always here."

Merlin nodded, but had to clear his throat before speaking. "Alright. Goodnight then, Freya. I love you."

"Goodnight, Merlin. And I love you, too." She stepped back into the water until she disappeared under it. Merlin closed his eyes and sighed. Then he turned around to tuck in the little princess waiting for him. When he entered the tent, he found her already asleep, although she had chosen to climb into his bed. He smiled softly and picked her up gently to put her back on her own bed before getting under his blankets. He had a busy day tomorrow, so a good night's rest would be a good thing.

* * *

**AN: So, still not done yet. And for the people who want some Corin: I'm writing, but I'm kind of stuck. I'm trying though! All the same: thank you for reading!**


	21. Family trip, part 3

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William! ****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. Mistakes in Lyra's sentences are deliberate.**

**************Summary: the family trip continued.**

**************Thanks to larasmith, who actually prompted me to write about a family trip.**

* * *

The next morning, Arthur and William left early to go hunting. Fortunately, they left Merlin behind. Gwen was cooking some water for tea above the fire, which had again been lit by Aithusa after Lyra had asked her. The princess was sitting in front of her parents' tent, petting Aithusa's head gently where it was resting in her lap. The dragon's eyes were closed, thoroughly enjoying the little girl's attention.

"Lyra, sweetie, can you go wake Merlin up?"

"'kay, mummy." Lyra gently pushed the white dragon away and ran into the tent she had shared with William and Merlin. Gwen could hear her laugh coming from inside, together with a groan from Merlin. Her daughter ran out again, five minutes later followed by a lightly scowling Merlin.

"She's definitely her father's daughter! Is it programmed in the Pendragon genes to annoy Merlins?"

Gwen started laughing. "Funny, last night, he asked me if I've had an affair with you because she has a lot of your mannerisms." Her words made Merlin go speechless. He was opening and closing his mouth, but nothing came out. It took a minute before he made a sound.

"What!? Is he completely out of his mind? I wouldn't… _we_ wouldn't…"

"Merlin! He was joking…"

"Oh, right. I knew that. It's just, I'm tired. Your daughter woke me up by jumping on me!"

"Yes, you definitely need more sleep, you're snappy. Here, drink some tea to wake yourself up. You never had a problem with our children jumping you before, Merlin." She handed him the cup while speaking.

Merlin pouted. "I know. But she elbowed me in the stomach. Sorry, I didn't mean to be snappy. Thanks for the tea, by the way."

Half an hour later, Merlin was a lot more awake and had regained his normal good mood. Lyra was running around, trying to catch Aithusa's tail, who was flying low over the campsite. Every time the girl came close to catching it, she swung it up. Both Gwen and Merlin were watching on in amusement.

"So, a little birdie told me you had something planned for Lyra today, but you didn't explain what it is."

"Yes, I do. I wanted it to be a surprise. We have to walk a little, until the next clearing. You can come too, you know. I'm pretty sure you'll like it too."

"Oh, but who would watch the camp?" Gwen seemed reluctant to agree, although Merlin could see her curiosity peeking through. She wanted to come.

"Don't worry about that. Magic, remember. And a dragon. No one in their right mind would sneak into a camp protected by a dragon."

"Alright then. When are we leaving?"

"In a few minutes, if you're ready. If not, I can wait until you are."

Gwen was ready to go ten minutes later, having searched for her comfortable boots. She made sure Lyra was prepared to leave too. When she was sure her daughter was ready, they started walking, leaving their horses and a dragon behind. Lyra was disappointed that Aithusa couldn't come, but after a few minutes, she forgot about her new friend when she saw the flowers on the side of the path they were taking. She ran ahead of the two adults, staying in their line of view, to start picking the flowers. Gwen and Merlin kept their attention on her, but they talked with each other, like they always did. They were interrupted by Lyra.

"Mummy! Look, I got you flowers! They're pretty!"

Gwen smiled, accepting the bunch of flowers. She crouched down in front of her little girl and hugged her.

"They're very pretty! Thank you, love."

That made Lyra giggle. After mother and daughter let go of each other and Gwen had put the flowers in the basket she had brought, they continued walking. It didn't take them very long until they reached the clearing.

When Lyra got a good view of what was in it, she gasped and turned around to look at Merlin with wide eyes.

"Is that a unicorn, uncle Merlin?" Merlin just nodded, a wide smile on his face.

"Wooow." Then the princess threw her arms around his legs. She looked up at him. "Can I touch it?"

Gwen bit her lip, unsure about that. She didn't like her daughter in close proximity with pointy objects like unicorn horns. Merlin saw her doubts and tried to reassure her.

"It's okay, Gwen. She won't get hurt. Unicorns are very gentle animals. They rarely attack people, and then only because they feel threatened. Besides, they love little girls, because they are a symbol of innocence. You can come with us. I'm sure she won't mind if you stroke her, too."

"It's a girl?" Merlin just nodded his answer.

Gwen agreed after she got a pleading look from her daughter. They walked up to the unicorn. At first, Lyra could only pat her leg, since she couldn't reach any higher. Gwen saw her struggles and picked her up. Immediately, Lyra started stroking the unicorn's mane. Merlin stayed by the animal's head.

"Do you want to give her a treat?" he asked after a while.

He had a few carrots with him and handed them over to Lyra when she nodded.

"Hold your hand open, palm up, and put the treat in your palm. Like that, yes. Now, just hold your hand where she can see it, and if she wants the carrot, she'll take it from your hand. It's the same as with a horse."

The first time the unicorn took a carrot, the little girl started giggling. "It tickles!"

"I know. But you're doing great, so keep going. You want to try, Gwen? I'll take Lyra." Gwen agreed and handed her daughter over to Merlin

They stayed in the clearing for another half hour before they returned to the camp. Again, Lyra ran ahead of them. Gwen turned to Merlin.

"How did you know it was there?"

"Unicorns are creatures of magic. I could sense her when we arrived here yesterday, so I decided to surprise Lyra."

"Thank you, Merlin. You've made her dream come true, you know that? She loves unicorns."

"I noticed. She tries to draw them, sometimes, when she's with me."

"You're guaranteed to be her favorite uncle for quite some time because of this."

Merlin smiled widely. "That was what I was hoping for. Can't let Leon or Percival take my place now, can I?"

Gwen smiled at him, lightly shaking her head. "Sometimes, Merlin, I have to agree with Arthur when he says you're ridiculous. You don't have to spoil Lyra or William to be their favorite. In fact, I'm pretty sure you're every child's favorite."

Merlin shrugged. "I don't have children of my own to spoil…"

Gwen smiled sadly at him. "You still could. Or you could take in an orphan. We'd all support you, Merlin, you know that."

The warlock looked at her. "I know. But it's still great to hear."

They reached the camp in silence. Lyra was already sitting down with Aithusa's head in her lap again. She was telling the dragon about her meeting with the unicorn. The rest of the morning was spent getting lunch ready for the three of them. William and Arthur would only get back later that day. After lunch, Gwen put Lyra to bed for a while after she saw her daughter yawning. Merlin and Gwen stayed next to the fire, talking like they did before Gwen became Queen of Camelot and got busy. Being Queen and becoming a mother had taken a lot of her time, and even though the two of them still talked, it wasn't nearly as much as before. They made up for it now, far away from the castle.

* * *

**AN: I'm guessing one more part of the trip, and then some Corin, for the ones who are waiting for it.**

**Another thing: normally, I don't personally address people in my author's note, except to thank them for a prompt. But this time, I'll make an exception, since I can't give them an answer in PM. I've received the question why it is a Gwen/Arthur story when Gwen barely figures in it twice. It's because it's supposed to be about Arthur being a father. The focus of this story is the children, not the relationship between Arthur and Gwen. I can't leave Gwen out, however, because she is the mother of his children. It's just supposed to be moments in time, not a full story of how they came to be. And to be honest, if I added another character to the list, like Merlin, then suddenly, the story became listed under Arthur/Merlin or Merlin/Gwen on my page. I'm not quite sure how to change that, so I just left out the other characters. And yes, sometimes I drift away from the children a little, like with Freya, but I didn't mean to make it seem like Gwen isn't important at all. I hope this clears up some of your concerns.**


	22. Family trip, final

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William! ****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. Mistakes in Lyra's sentences are deliberate.**

**************Summary: Final part of the family trip.**

**************Thanks to larasmith, who actually prompted me to write about a family trip.**

* * *

By mid-afternoon, William and Arthur had returned from their hunting trip. They had managed to catch half a dozen rabbits and one deer. While Arthur dealt with their catch, his son ran up to Gwen to tell her excitedly about his day. He was sporting a rather long scratch and a bit of a bruise on his cheek, which his mother noticed immediately. She grabbed his chin and turned his cheek towards her gently so she could take a look while still listening to her boy. It didn't look serious, but she still threw an angry look at her husband's back. He was supposed to keep his son safe!

When William was done telling her about their hunt, without any mention of how he got hurt, she raised her eyebrows.

"What happened to your cheek?"

"Oh, um…" William looked a bit sheepish. Arthur had heard the question and smiled widely. Coming up to them, he kissed Gwen's cheek before answering.

"He ran into a tree."

"Dad! You said you wouldn't tell!" William turned red.

"Well, it's either that or your mother being angry with me for letting you get hurt. She can hardly blame me for you running into that tree, right?" He turned to Gwen. "Did you think I didn't notice the angry look you threw at me a few minutes ago, Guinevere?"

The Queen was not impressed. "You still let him get hurt, even if it was his own fault. Come on, William, I'll clean out the scratch in the tent." She entered the tent with William, leaving Arthur outside with Merlin. The King turned to his best friend, who was laughing silently in the same place he had been since Arthur arrived in the camp.

"She's blaming me? How was this in any way my fault? I even called out a warning," he wondered.

"She's a mother, of course she blames you. You're the one who took him out, so you're the one responsible."

"Women! I don't think I'll ever understand them." He plopped down next to Merlin

"But you wouldn't know what to do without Gwen and Lyra."

At the mention of his little girl, Arthur smiled lovingly. "You're right. They mean everything to me. So, what did you do with Gwen and Lyra today?" Right at that moment, he felt a weight jump on his back and two arms wrapped around his neck.

"I'm sure the princess can tell you herself. I'll go have a talk with Aithusa for a while." After ruffling Lyra's hair, he stood up and walked off, leaving King and princess alone.

When Merlin returned a while later, he found the entire royal family sitting together around the fire. Lyra saw him coming and ran up to him to hug his legs. She looked up at him with wide eyes, making her look adorable. Merlin picked her up.

"Uncle Merlin, William said he flewed on the dragon when he was smaller. Can I fly with Aithusa?"

"Uhm. Maybe you should ask your parents first."

They arrived at the campfire. Lyra voiced her question immediately. Reluctantly, Arthur agreed. He didn't like it, but he had allowed William to fly on Aithusa, so he should allow his daughter the same thing. He knew she would be safe, Merlin would make sure of that. When the little girl turned to her mother, Gwen smiled.

"Of course you can. To be honest, I've always wanted to fly on a dragon myself."

Merlin looked up at her in surprise. "You have?" Gwen nodded. "Oh. Uhm, I hate disappointing you, Gwen, but I don't think Aithusa can carry your weight."

Gwen crossed her arms, pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows. "Are you calling me fat, Merlin?"

The warlock's eyes widened. He started babbling. "What? No! I mean… I didn't mean… No! I didn't mean that. It's just… well… Uhm… I mean, Aithusa's not fully grown. And she can't carry me either. Like, carrying William is becoming difficult. I didn't mean you're fat, Gwen. You're lovely. Absolutely beautiful. If you weren't married to Arthur, I'd marry you."

Halfway through his stuttering, Gwen had started biting her lip to keep from laughing. Arthur didn't have that restraint and was almost rolling around on the ground from laughing so hard. Until Merlin's last comment, that was. The last comment made him sit up straight and he glared at Merlin.

"Hey! Hands of! She's mine!"

"Oh, shut up, you prat! Honestly, whatever I say, I always say something wrong," Merlin huffed.

Gwen laughed softly. "I know you didn't mean it like that, Merlin. I was joking. Thank you for the compliments, though. You're a real charmer. I'd marry you in an instant if I was any other girl." The Queen walked up to Merlin and kissed his cheek, which annoyed her husband even more.

"Gwen!" Arthur complained while he glared at his best friend some more.

She rolled her eyes and stepped closer to Arthur. Taking his hand to pull him up, she spoke "You know I love you, Arthur, there's no need to be jealous of Merlin. Now, why don't we let Merlin entertain the kids? We can take a nice, romantic walk in the forest."

"Oh. Walk. Right! Merlin, you better make sure nothing happens to my children. I'm sure Gwen agrees with me on that. Don't you, love?"

"Of course. We'd have to put you in the dungeons or cut of you head if you lose them or if they are hurt. And I'm not kidding this time, Merlin."

They left the camp, hand in hand, after kissing their children and warning them to be good. Merlin spent the next few hours making sure Lyra didn't fall off of Aithusa's back and entertaining his friends' children.

When they returned for dinner a few hours later, both of them were in an incredibly good mood. Merlin decided he'd rather not know.

Their second and last night by the lake was spent around the fire, talking and laughing. When they retreated into their tents around midnight, Merlin was sure he'd never seen Arthur as relaxed as he had been that night. Too bad they had to leave for Camelot in the morning. Maybe they should make it a yearly thing, this trip. Determined to bring it up during the ride back tomorrow, Merlin fell asleep.

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**AN: Thank you all for reading and reviewing. And I'm sorry for the wait. Although I fear I won't be able to update as much any more. I should be able to manage once or twice a week, though. I'll definitely try twice :).**


	23. Mischief and magic

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William! ****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

**************Summary: Finally, for the ones who have been waiting for it: some Corin!**

* * *

It was three in the afternoon. Corin, Lyra, William and their cousins were getting hungry, since they had been distracted by the arrival of a few foreign visitors during lunch. Now they were spending the afternoon together while their parents had meetings with the visitors. After hearing William, Theo and Victor complain about their grumbling stomachs for half an hour, Corin had enough of it.

"Why don't you go to the kitchen to ask for some food, then?" the eight-year-old asked them.

"Because the cook never gives us something. Says we should eat when there's food on the table. But we're growing boys! We can't help it if we are hungry all the time," William answered.

The prince was fourteen now, and he seemed to be in the middle of a growth spurt. Theo, Leon's oldest son who was thirteen, was already a little taller than William. And Victor, Theo's brother, was eleven and not far behind. Both of them took after their father in height. Fortunately, Adam was only nine and not as tall yet, but Corin was sure he would take after Percival and would grow to be the biggest of them all. In a few years, he would probably join the others in their complaining about always being hungry. Little Helen, his sister, was seven, and took more after her mother. Lyra, Corin's best friend, was nine, just like Adam. Corin had grown taller than her only a few months before and the princess was still a little annoyed about that.

"Can't one of you distract her while the others take a cookie or two?"

"She always notices when someone enters the kitchen and she keeps an eye on all of us. We need some way to not have to enter the kitchen to get some food." A calculating look appeared in William's eyes. "Hey, Corin, you think you could help us with your magic? Uncle Merlin has been teaching you, right? What if we go in, distract her, and you make the food fly out of the room?"

Corin hesitated. "Isn't that a bit like stealing? He told me I can't use my magic for stealing and such things."

Lyra had kept silent before, but she spoke up now. "Will, I don't think you should ask Corin. It's not really fair, is it? He could get in trouble, just because you're hungry."

"Oh, come on, Lyra. What if he just gets one cookie for each of us, that's only seven cookies. It's not really stealing if the food is ours, or dad's actually, is it? Besides, admit it, we're all getting bored in here. At least if we go to the kitchens, we'll have something to do."

"I don't know…" Corin still wasn't convinced.

"If you get caught, I promise to take the blame."

In the end, Corin surrendered, so the seven of them left the chambers they had been in and set off in the direction of the kitchen. Once there, William, Theo and Victor went inside to distract the cook, while Corin and the others stayed hidden by the doorway. They started with asking her for some cookies, but it was obvious for the observing children that the cook refused to give them some. Then they started walking around the kitchen. And indeed, the cook's eyes followed them around. When they were on the other side of the kitchen, Corin used his magic to summon some of the cookies.

Everything seemed to go well. Until one of the kitchen maids, Abby, noticed the hovering biscuits. Fortunately, Abby was one of the maids that liked the children and who helped them sneak around sometimes. She was looking around to see where Corin was hiding and when she found him, she winked. Corin smiled at her. Then he noticed the two chickens that were lying on the counter closest to the door. Using some more magic he lifted the two chickens and made them perform a dance. Abby had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud.

He kept up the chicken dance until the last of the seven cookies he needed was in his reach. Once he had grabbed it out of the air, he threw another smile at Abby, whistled a few notes to signal to the boys in the kitchen that he was done and set off in the direction of their chambers.

Once back in the room, Lyra hugged him. "That was great! I didn't know you could do that."

Corin blushed. "Merlin taught me a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure it would work."

"Well, it did! Can you make other things dance? Like my dolls?"

"I suppose I could, but it can get tiring."

"You don't need to do it now. Another time, okay?"

Just like most of the people living in and around the castle, he couldn't say no to her. "Okay. Just, don't tell Merlin?"

Lyra agreed. The boys entered their chambers shortly after. They spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and talking about the adventures they wanted to experience, enjoying their cookie.

**_AxG_**

A few days later, William entered Corin's room. He was biting his lip a little and seemed to hesitate before speaking.

"Corin? I… I was wondering if you could help me with something."

Corin looked up from the assignment he had been given by Merlin. "That depends. What do you need help with?"

"Well, I kind of need help for my training. Dad is busy, as are most of the knights. And I would like some practice with my sword."

The younger boy hesitated. "I can't really help you with that. I haven't had a lot of training, just the basics. I want to learn more, but I've only just started. So I'm not sure I'll be able to help." Corin really wanted to learn. He didn't want to be a knight, really, but he looked up to William, and he wanted William to be proud of him. The prince was like an older brother to him, had been since the first knight he spent in the castle, after his whole family had been killed. And he wanted to know how to defend himself, too. He knew Merlin didn't really like swords, but he also knew Arthur had forced him to learn, even after he knew how powerful his friend was.

"I don't need you to fight against me, but I thought you could, you know, use magic to hold up the sword. That way, you can't get hurt if I hit too hard or if I use a move you haven't been taught yet." William looked at him pleadingly. He seemed to really want to practice. And Corin knew how busy the King and all of the knights had been the last few days. Corin hadn't been able to spend much time with Merlin either. So helping William might be useful to get some practice of his own.

"Alright. I guess I could do that. But not too long, please. The spell tires me out, and Merlin might notice if I'm exhausted."

"Great! Thanks, Corin. And we don't need long. Just, half an hour, is that okay?"

Corin nodded and stood up from the bench he was sitting on. "Come on, let's get outside then, before they're done with their meeting."

They had only been practicing for ten minutes when they heard angry voices shouting their names.

"Corin!" "William!"

Corin let the sword fall down to the ground before turning around. He paled when he noticed Merlin and Arthur coming up to them.

"What do you think you are doing?" Arthur asked.

William and Corin both looked down at their shoes.

"Inside, both of you. Now!"

"Dad! It wasn't Corin's fault. I asked him to help me." William spoke up.

"All the same, William. Corin should have known better than to agree. I told him to be careful." Merlin said to William before he turned to Arthur. "Can I take Corin with me?" When Arthur nodded, Merlin put his hand on the young boy's shoulder to turn him around and steer him inside. Behind them, they could hear Arthur and William following.

"Dad, I'm sorry."

"You should be. I told you the dangers of practicing alone, William. I thought you understood. And no matter Corin's presence, I told you I only wanted you to train with a knight who knows what to look for. I don't want you to get hurt, son."

"I know. But I want to be the best, I want to make you proud."

Merlin heard Arthur sigh, and he understood why. This had been exactly how Arthur himself had behaved when he was William's age, always trying to seek his father's approval. He heard them stop.

"William, look at me. I am proud of you, and I'm sure you'll make me even prouder in the years to come. You're good, everyone can see that. But you can't just decide to practice whenever you want. There's a reason for the discipline I try to instill in my knights. And this doesn't mean you're forgiven. We'll have a serious talk about this, young man."

That was the last Merlin and Corin could understand from that conversation. They could hear William replying, but they didn't understand what was being said. The two of them kept going in silence until they reached Merlin's chambers. Once the door was shut, Corin spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Merlin."

Merlin almost smiled. "I know. But just like with William, this doesn't mean you're forgiven. I think I understand why you did it. I know we haven't had a lot of time together to practice in the last few days. But I don't want you to get hurt, Corin."

Corin nodded. "I know. You care about me, a lot."

"I do. You're my family, Corin, and I love you. But there is a reason I don't want you to do magic without my supervision, you know that."

"You don't want me to get hurt, I understand."

"That's right. And I don't want other people to get hurt either." Corin started to protest that no one else was going to get injured, but Merlin interrupted. "It's not that I don't trust you, Corin, but William could have been hurt, too. That spell still tires you, doesn't it? What if you had lost your concentration and lost control? What if William wasn't able to dodge? There are always consequences when you use magic, even now that it is allowed."

Corin was biting his lip. "Did you ever do something you shouldn't have done?"

Merlin went to sit down, pulling until Corin sat next to him on the bench. "A lot of things. I used magic all the time, even though it was illegal. Most of it was to save the stubborn prat that we have to call King now," Corin smiled at that "so I don't regret most of that. I could have acted differently, sometimes, but in the end, everything worked out. But there is the time where there was no reason to use magic. No one was in danger, I was out in the woods alone. Or, well, I thought I was alone. I was resting and I made the smoke of a little fire change shape. A woman saw, and she went to the King. Uther was still King then, and magic was forbidden. He called for a witch hunter. Gaius, my mentor, almost died, because I had been stupid."

Corin leaned against Merlin's side. "Oh. Did you save him?"

"Of course I did, together with Gwen. And, well, I suppose Arthur helped a little, too. If he hadn't been prepared to listen to me and Gwen, Gaius would have been burned at the stake. You see, the witch hunter planted some evidence, and I found out. He also used belladonna to make some girls hallucinate. I told Arthur and the King. Uther didn't want to listen, but Arthur agreed to search the witch hunter's rooms for some more evidence. I may have multiplied the magical bracelets I found in the rooms. And I did put a toad in his throat, which he spit out in front of the King. Naturally, he released Gaius. The witch hunter fell out of the window when he tried to escape the guards."

Corin was looking at Merlin with his mouth open.

"Maybe the toad was a little over the top. I was just angry."

Corin laughed slightly. "Are there other stories where you did something stupid?"

"A few of them, like the one with the goblin. But I'll tell you another time. You'll like it." Merlin smiled widely. Then, his expression turned sober again. "Look, Corin, I just want you to be careful. I know this wasn't the first time you've used that spell without supervision," At Corin's wide-eyed look, he continued. "Oh, I know about the cookies."

Corin tried to look innocent. "Which cookies? I don't know about cookies."

"You don't? Strange… A few days ago, cook was raging about seven missing cookies. And she swore she had kept an eye on the three boys who entered her kitchen. Well, anyone who entered her kitchen. And still, seven cookies went missing… But if that wasn't you, maybe you could explain the dancing chickens?"

Corin's mouth fell open again. He needed a few seconds to collect himself. "How… how do you know that?"

Merlin smiled. "You don't need to be in the kitchens to see everything. Percival was observing from his own hiding place. Told me that a few cookies were hovering, and then two chickens just started dancing, while he would swear they had been dead only moments before."

"Oh. Okay, that was me. I'm sorry."

Merlin carded his hand through the boy's hair. "Don't be. A few cookies and two chickens won't tire you out. It's not as dangerous as a sword. Just promise me you'll think twice about using magic. Oh, and stealing cookies, no big deal. I'm actually sorry I never thought about that. You don't know how many times I tried to smuggle something out of the kitchens, only to be caught by the cook."

Corin smiled widely. "I promise I'll be careful in the future."

"Good. Now, you think you can show me the dancing chickens?" At that, Merlin waved his hand and made two chickens appear on the table in front of them.

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**AN: Thank you for reading and for the great reviews on the last chapter. I don't have a lot of time, so I'm just posting this chapter for all of you!**


	24. Mother and daughter

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William! ****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me. Mistakes in Lyra's sentences are deliberate.**

**Summary: Some mother and daughter.**

**Some of you asked for Gwen and Lyra :)**

* * *

The sun was setting. Gwen looked at the horizon from where she was standing behind her daughter in front of the mirror. Her attention drifted for a moment, her hands stopping what they were doing before. Lyra didn't seem to like it and demanded Gwen turn her attention back to her.

"Mummy!"

"Hmmm?" Gwen hummed distractedly.

"You stopped combing my hair, and if I go sleeping now, there will be lots of knots. Hey! That rhymed, mummy. Did you hear?" The four-year-old became enthusiastic.

"I heard, sweetie. And there will be no knots. See, I'm continuing already."

Gwen continued brushing her daughter's long chocolate brown hair. Lyra had inherited her looks, except for the color of her eyes, which meant her hair was a mass of curls. The motions made her thinks back to all the times she had performed them when she was Morgana's maid. Normally, she tried not to think of her former friend, because her betrayal still hurt, but she knew the thoughts would have come anyway. Tomorrow, a feast would be held to celebrate ten years of peace. It had been ten years since Camlann, ten years since Merlin killed Morgana and ten years since she almost lost her husband. She would be eternally grateful to Merlin for saving him. The little girl in front of her would not have been here if he hadn't.

Abandoning the hairbrush for the moment, she hugged her daughter tightly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I love you, sweetheart."

Lyra seemed surprised for a moment, but she hugged back. Her daughter really loved hugging people and being hugged in return. "I love you too, mummy."

Gwen smiled and pulled back to finish brushing Lyra's hair. It only took a few more minutes. "There, I'm done. Do you want it in a braid to go to bed, so it won't be knotted by tomorrow?"

When the princess nodded, she started braiding. Once she was done, she picked Lyra up. "Bedtime for you, young lady. You have to get up early in the morning to get ready for the feast."

Lyra giggled. "Mummy! The feast isn't 'til tomorrow night. I don't need a whole day."

"Oooh, so you don't need to get up early?" Gwen questioned innocently.

"I do! To play!"

Gwen laughed lightly. "Sounds like fun. But are you going to leave me all alone? Your daddy is hiring some people so I have a whole day to be pampered. I thought you could join me. We'll get a hot bath, someone will make our hair look very pretty, someone else will take care of our nails… Don't you want to join me? Please, sweetie, I don't want to do that alone. It's a lot more fun when there's another girl there." Gwen pretended to pout. She put her daughter  
down on the bed.

"A whole day? But I want to play too…"

"They'll be here at eleven. So you can play before that. Is that alright with you?"

Lyra smiled widely. "Yes!"

"Good. But now it's time you go to sleep." She pulled the sheets and the blanket over her daughter until only her head was still visible. "Good night, love." She kissed her daughter's temple.

"Night, mummy." Lyra turned over under the blanket and made herself comfortable, before quickly falling asleep.

**_AxG_**

The next morning, Lyra appeared in the doorway of the royal bedroom a few minutes before eleven, surprising Gwen.

"I guess you're excited for our day of pampering, then?"

"I am, mummy. I played before, but now I want to be here."

At that moment, a girl came up behind the princess. She curtsied. "My lady, my lady. Are you ready?"

When both the Queen and the princess nodded, she invited them to follow her to another room where two baths were already being filled. Gwen took Lyra by the hand.

Once they were in the bathtubs, the servants who would be helping them later disappeared to let them relax. Lyra used the opportunity to start chattering. Gwen thought back to what Arthur said a few weeks ago during their trip. Their daughter really did get that from Merlin. But it was a joy to see Lyra to lively, so Gwen just listened to what her daughter felt like telling her. Actually, she kind of hoped Lyra would keep doing that when she got older. She didn't want her little girl to ever shut her out. A lot of subjects had passed with little comment from Gwen, when Lyra surprised her with a question.

"Mummy, can I get a unicorn?" Lyra looked at her hopefully.

"Sweetie, a unicorn is not a pet. It's a magical creature, and they prefer to live in the forest, where they can run freely."

Lyra looked disappointed. "Oh… But they look like horses, and we keep horses in the stable. Can't they become friends with our horses so they want to stay here?"

"It doesn't really work that way, love. Why would you want a unicorn?"

The little girl looked at her as if she was stupid for asking that question. " 'cause it's a unicorn, mummy. I like unicorns. And they're very pretty."

"Oh, of course, I forgot, it's a unicorn," Gwen went along with the princess. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you can't get a unicorn."

Lyra pouted slightly, but when she looked up at Gwen again, she smiled slyly. "Can I get a pony then?"

**_AxG_**

Later that day, after Lyra had managed to talk her mother into at least considering a pony, they were standing in front of the mirror together. Gwen and Lyra were wearing matching dresses for the occasion. Their hair was done in different styles, but everyone could see the resemblance between the two. Lyra really was a younger version of her mother. She turned to look up at Gwen.

"You look really pretty, mummy."

Gwen smiled widely. "Thank you, Lyra. But you look beautiful too. I'm sure everyone will want a dance with you." Her words made Lyra giggle.

When Arthur entered the room to escort them to the throne room, where the feast was held, he stopped in surprise. Then his expression softened and he smiled at the two most important women in his life.

"You look beautiful. Both of you."

Lyra giggled again and twirled around, making the skirt of her dress flare out. Then she ran up to Arthur and pulled at his hand until he picked her up. Once she was in his arms, she spoke.

"Mummy sayed so too. She sayed everyone would want to dance with me."

"I'm sure they will, love. But promise me I will get the first dance."

"Promise, daddy."

Gwen came up to them. "I thought your first dance was supposed to be with me."

Arthur pulled her close. "It is. Lyra will just have to wait until the second song of the night to dance."

"But daddy! I don't want to wait." The little girl in his arms pouted and crossed her arms.

"Alright, you can dance with William before you dance with me. Good enough for you?"

"Can't I dance with uncle Merlin first?" Lyra tried.

Arthur had to hold back a sigh. He loved Merlin, he did, but he didn't have to like the way his little girl almost worshipped him. "Fine! Merlin first, then me."

His agreement made Lyra smile widely before she threw her arms around his neck. William joined them right at that moment. Arthur tried to put Lyra down, but she refused. She was still in his arms when the King and Queen entered the throne room hand in hand, William walking on his other side. They presented a picture of a perfect family, and everyone who saw them enter had no doubts about their love for each other.

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**AN: So, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it :)**


	25. Picnic

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William! ****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

**************Summary: William goes on a picnic with Lynn**

**************AN: I'm going to put this on top, because I'm pretty sure I owe all of you an apology. I am SO sorry for not updating for so long. I kind of got stuck with the writing of the picnic, which meant I couldn't update when I said I probably would. And then I left on holiday, which meant no computer or internet access (I force myself to stay away from anything to do with computers on holiday). I probably should have informed you of my holiday, but I just kind of forgot. Anyway, no worries, I have NOT abandoned this story. Definitely not! Although I would understand if a lot of you abandoned me. I can't even blame you. It's all on me. And I'm very ashamed of myself.**

**************Now, on with the story! Enjoy.**

* * *

Gwen was changing the sheets on the bed she shared with Arthur when she saw William enter the room from the corner of her eye. She turned to face him.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, love?"

Her son fidgeted a little before speaking. "I want Lynn to be my girlfriend."

Gwen wasn't really surprised. She had been there a few days ago when he was talking to Arthur. It looked like William wanted to say more, but he couldn't get it out. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. Guessing what he wanted to ask, she spoke. "Do you need some help with that?"

William nodded gratefully. While he was more open about his emotions, William was still his father's son, and both of them didn't like asking for help. Now that he knew his mother was offering to help, he started explaining. "Daddy said he took you on a picnic. I want to do that with Lynn today, but daddy said I couldn't go alone with Lynn. Will you come with me?"

The Queen smiled. "Of course I will. Although I thought you'd rather ask your father."

William shook his head forcefully. "Oh, no. He said you yelled at him before you kissed, and I don't want Lynn to yell at me. And then I asked daddy what flowers to give to her, and daddy said he didn't know. Do you know, mummy?"

"Well, do you know what her favorite flower is? And her favorite color?"

William thought on that for a minute. "I think she likes daisies. There's always a vase of daisies in her room, yellow ones. But her favorite color's pink."

"Hmm, well then, why don't you and I go down to the market and look for some daisies, preferably pink ones. And in the meantime, we'll ask the kitchen to prepare a picnic and send an invitation to Lynn."

William beamed up at her. "Thank you, mummy!"

"Oh, don't thank me yet, sweetheart. I want you to write the invitation yourself."

The prince frowned and stuck out his bottom lip. "But mummy…"

"She has to see you are the one inviting her, William. And Gaius told me your writing is improving."

"But I don't know how to spell all of the words! And then I'll write them wrong and then Lynn will think I'm stupid."

"Oh, honey, she won't think you're stupid. She'll think you're sweet. And if you want, I'll write it down first, so you can copy it. Just tell me what to write."

William considered it and sighed after a moment. "Okay, I guess."

Gwen took a piece of paper and a quill. Together with her son, she managed to come up with an appropriate, if somewhat awkward, invitation.

It read:

_Dear Lynn,_

_I'd very much like to take you on a picnic in the palace gardens. Will you please come? We'll have a great afternoon. I promise there will be sweets. We can meet on the courtyard at noon._

_Sincerely,  
William_

_P.S. Mary and Dan, mummy is coming with us, so don't worry. Can Lynn please come?_

After William had copied the invitation in his own handwriting, they went in search of Arthur, who had the royal seal with him. They could have sent it without a seal, but this way, Lynn and her family would be sure it came from the royal family and not from some other man who preyed on young girls. When they found him, Arthur read the letter over and smiled.

"Sweets, huh? I'm getting jealous." He sealed the letter and called for one of the servants so bring it over to Lynn's house. "You're going into town now, aren't you? Be careful, both of you. And William, have a good time this afternoon. I'm sure Lynn will like this. I'll see you tonight." He kissed his son's head and embraced his wife quickly.

"Arthur, will you…" Gwen was interrupted by her husband.

"Of course, Guinevere. Don't worry, I'll take care of Lyra."

She kissed his lips briefly, making William grimace, before stepping out of her husband's arms. "Come on, then, William, we still have to go to the kitchen before we can search for the flowers."

**_AxG_**

By the time it was noon, William and Gwen had accomplished everything they needed to do. Gwen had gone to the kitchens to fetch the picnic basket while William was standing in front of the stairs on the courtyard, waiting for Lynn. She had given her reply to the servant, saying that she would love to. When she walked through the gate, William smiled widely. She was wearing her yellow dress, which he knew was one of her nice dresses, but not so nice that they would have to be extremely careful not to ruin it. He stepped closer to her.

"Hi."

Lynn blushed a little. "Hi, William."

The prince bit his lip before blurting out "You look nice."

He was rewarded with a large, warm smile from his friend. The blush on her cheeks became a little more pronounced.

"Come on, let's go to the garden already. Mummy will come after us." He took her hand and tugged her inside the castle and through the halls. Once arrived in the garden, they went to sit down on the picnic blanket that had been positioned under a tree by a servant. They started talking. Gwen arrived ten minutes later with the picnic basket. She waved William over when she was about ten meters away.

"Didn't you forget anything, sweetheart?"

William frowned and thought about it. "No, I don't think so."

"The flower?"

His eyes widened and he bit his lip. "Oh! Now it's ruined. I left it in my room." He pouted.

Gwen laughed softly and pulled it from the basket in a way that Lynn wouldn't see it. "You did, but I saw it earlier and I went to get it for you. Here." She handed it over.

"Thank you, mummy! You're the best!"

"Thank you, love. Now, off you go, offer it to Lynn."

Gwen decided to stay behind for a few more minutes. William ran off with the flower behind his back. Once he was standing in front of the girl, he bit his lip again. His cheeks got a bit more color.

"Lynn? I have something for you." Quickly, he pulled the daisy from behind his back and offered it to her. Lynn started blushing too, but her eyes started sparkling when she took the flower from him.

"A daisy! And a pink one too! They're my favorite. I love it, William. Thank you!"

"You're welcome." William plopped down on the blanket again, a little closer to Lynn than he was before. He was pleased she liked his little gift. A few moments later they were joined by Gwen, who started setting up the many sorts of food the kitchens had prepared for them. When everything was set up, they started eating.

After their lunch, Gwen stayed on the blanket, while William and Lynn ran around in the garden, staying close to her. They were playing hide-and-seek. When they got tired of that, William gathered his courage and stepped in front of the girl, not realizing they were in full view of the Queen.

"Lynn? I… I like you. A lot. And, uhm, will you be my girlfriend?" By the time he was finished with his sentence, his cheeks were almost as red as the tomatoes that had been included for the picnic.

Lynn's eyes widened and her face almost matched his. But then she nodded. William almost whooped.

"Can I kiss you then?" he asked. Lynn bit her lip before nodding again. William slowly stepped closer to her and gave her a very short peck on the lips. They both blushed some more, even though it seemed impossible. Gwen had seen everything and had to refrain from cooing. She eagerly kept watching, but the only thing that happened was the prince taking Lynn's hand and the two of them starting to wander some more around the gardens.

At around four o'clock, they returned to the castle. When the two children had to say goodbye before the girl was accompanied back to her house by one of the guards, Gwen was hoping to see them kiss sweetly once again. Her wish was only halfway fulfilled, when William kissed her on the cheek instead, before waving and watching until Lynn had disappeared out of the castle gates. Then he turned to his mother with a hopeful look on his young face.

"Can we do that again?"

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**AN: Thank you SO much for reading!**


	26. A princess knows what she wants

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William! ****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

**************Summary: Lyra demands to be taught how to fight.**

* * *

Lyra was sitting on her bed with her arms crossed. She was frowning. The reason for her bad mood was her brother. They had been leaving the room where Merlin usually taught them, when he announced he had to hurry or he'd be late for his practice. When Lyra asked if she could join him, he started laughing, and told her girls weren't allowed around the practice grounds, not even to watch. She knew that was a lie, though, because her mother could often be found there. When she called William out on his lie, he just rolled his eyes and said she would get bored watching them practice. Then Lyra shocked him for a moment by announcing that she didn't want to watch, she wanted to learn. He sputtered for a moment, before telling her she couldn't, because princesses weren't supposed to fight and she was too young anyway. He left after that. Lyra stomped her feet all the way back to her chambers.

Now, she was brooding. She knew she wasn't too young. William had had his first lesson with a sword when he was six, and she was eight already. But her father had never even talked to her about fighting. It was as if he wasn't even planning to teach her. Deciding to confront him, she went up to the King's chambers, knowing he would be there, finishing some paperwork. He only went to William's training twice a week nowadays, leaving his son in Leon's and Percival's capable hands the rest of the time.

Arriving there, she found both her parents in the room. Arthur was sitting behind his desk, as expected, and her mother was cleaning out the closet. She went to stand in front of her father. When he looked up at her with a smile, she didn't hesitate in telling him what she wanted.

"Daddy, I want to learn how to fight."

The King's eyes widened and he almost choked on air. Her demand had surprised him. Off to the side, Lyra heard her mother close the doors to the cupboard. Once Arthur regained his composure, he spoke.

"I'm sorry? Could you repeat that, love? I thought you just said you wanted to learn how to fight."

She narrowed her eyes. "That's exactly what I said."

"But… why?"

"Because you taught William when he was six, and I'm eight already. And I want to know how to defend myself." She crossed her arms in front of her and looked her father straight in the eyes.

"Sweetie, you're surrounded by guards and knights day and night, there's no need to defend yourself."

"And what if they get around them?" she persisted stubbornly.

"They can't. And besides, there have been no attempts on anyone of our family since the war. It's just not necessary."

"Daddy, I _want_ to learn."

Arthur looked pleadingly at his wife, begging her to help him. Gwen bit her lip before speaking. "She might have a point, though, even though you're right that there have been no attacks. But she needs to know how to defend herself."

"Gwen… She's… she's a girl."

Both the women started protesting.

"Daddy!" "Arthur! I'm a girl, and I know how to fight."

He held up his hands. "Alright, that was not the right thing to say. Yes, Guinevere, I know you know how to fight, but you weren't born a princess." At the angry look she threw him, he continued "You know I'm right. And besides, I love you all the more because of it." Then he looked at Lyra. "Lyra, love, I didn't mean it like that. I didn't mean you couldn't fight because you're a girl. It's just… you're _my _little girl. And I just don't want to see you get hurt. Honestly? If I had any say about it, I'd lock you up in a tower, far away from anything that could even remotely hurt you. Of course, your mother disagreed with me when I proposed it."

Lyra's eyes had narrowed at first, but when Arthur talked about locking her up, they shot wide open. "You proposed what?!"

The King looked a little sheepish. "You're my only daughter. And don't worry, your mother chewed me out after that. Wouldn't let me see you for three days, until I promised I would never, ever do that."

"Daddy, you can't always protect me. And I really want to learn. Please, daddy?" She was looking at him with her blue, pleading eyes, knowing he couldn't resist her when she did that. Arthur closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"Fine, you can train with a sword, so you can protect yourself. I'll arrange lessons with Leon and Percival."

The princess smiled widely and ran around the desk to jump in his lap and give him a big hug.

"Thank you, daddy. But…"

"Oh, no, what now?"

She turned her wide eyes on him again. "I really want you to teach me. You taught William at first. And you still train with him twice a week. Please?"

He groaned. "Fine, fine. We'll start next week, okay. And, we may as well start Corin's training. The two of you can train together, at least that way, we'll have someone of your height."

"Yeey! I'll go tell him now!" She jumped from his lap and ran to the door. When she was almost outside of the room, she turned back. "I love you, daddy." And then she was off.

Arthur turned to his wife. "I love our daughter, but she's going to be the death of me."

Gwen laughed softly and stepped closer until she was standing in between his legs. "Don't be so melodramatic, Arthur. She was right, and it's only fair that you teach her."

Arthur's arms went around her waist and he buried his head against her stomach. "There's just something fundamentally wrong about swinging a sword at your daughter."

"You won't hurt her. You didn't hurt William either. I trust you, love, and obviously, Lyra trusts you too. But we'll have to work on your ability to say no to her. She has you wrapped around her little finger, dear."

* * *

**AN: I hope you liked it!**


	27. Foreign trip

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William! ****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

**************Summary: William is going on a trip.**

* * *

Young William was confused. He didn't really know how to feel about this. This being that his father had just told him he had to join the King on one of his diplomatic missions. King Arthur was traveling to Caerleon for a meeting with Queen Annis, and this time, he was taking his son. This would be William's first time out of the country, the first time he accompanied his father, and he didn't know whether to be proud that his father wanted to take him, or sad that he had to miss his little sister and his mother for a few weeks. Lyra was only one, and ever since she had been born, he had spent an hour every night in his parents' room with her.

In the end, excitement won out. He had never been out of the city for longer than a day, so the trip alone was already something to look forward to. He had only just turned seven now, and he was allowed to ride on his own horse, or pony actually, since a horse was still too large for him. His father told him that they didn't need to hurry, so he didn't have to worry about keeping up. It was looking to be a great trip, with an opportunity for some private time with his dad. But since it was to be a diplomatic visit, they were forced to take some nobles with them, and quite a few knights as protection. And uncle Merlin, of course. He didn't have a problem with the knights and Merlin, but the nobles were so boring…

A few days later, William was busy searching his room for everything he would need before they left tomorrow morning, when his mother came in.

"Do you need some help?"

"I can't find my new boots. And my red shirt. Do you know where they are?" Gwen laughed softly and she came further into the room.

"Your new boots are on the top shelf in your closet. And I can see your shirt already stuffed in the chest you're taking. Why are you packing on your own? You could have asked for help."

"I want to show everyone that I'm old enough to go with dad, that I can take care of myself."

Gwen pursed her lips in thought. "To be honest, I'd rather you stay here, but that's just because I will miss you. I know you can take care of yourself, honey, although packing on your own has nothing to do with it. If that were the case, your father should never leave the castle." At the confused look on William's face, she elaborated. "The first words out of his mouth when he saw Merlin this morning were: 'Merlin, start packing!' Even after almost eight years, he still forgets Merlin isn't his servant anymore."

A smile appeared on the prince's face. "What did uncle Merlin say?"

"Oh, he just called your father a prat and walked away. Five minutes later, George appeared in our room, announcing that Merlin told him Arthur needed him to pack."

"Oh no, not George! Dad loathes him. He's so boring!"

"Which is exactly why Merlin sent him. Now, do you need some help? Maybe to put everything neatly in your trunk? Because it's a mess, sweetheart." William nodded his agreement, and they spent the rest of the afternoon packing and getting things ready for his trip.

The next morning, William was standing in the courtyard with the rest of the party that would go to Caerleon. His trunk had been placed on a cart, together with the trunks of the others. His mother appeared on the steps, and he went up to her. She pulled him into a hug.

"Be careful, sweetheart."

"I will."

"I'll miss you, but I want you to enjoy your trip."

"I'll miss you and Lyra, too, mum. Give her a kiss from me?"

"Every night, I know. You made me promise yesterday." She hadn't let go of him yet. They were joined by Arthur.

"You can let go of him now, Guinevere. I believe it's my turn."

Gwen raised her eyebrows and pulled him in even closer. "You don't deserve a hug, since you're the one taking him away from me. You better take care of him, Arthur."

Arthur sighed and pulled both of them in. He kissed Gwen on the head. "You know I will, love. And we both agreed on this, Guinevere. Annis can't make the trip anymore, and she hasn't seen William in years. She hasn't even met Lyra, yet." Queen Annis was quite a bit older than the King and Queen of Camelot, and the last few years, she had been unable to travel the long distance from her kingdom to Camelot. She was still very sharp of mind though, and both Arthur and Gwen appreciated her guidance and support.

Gwen nodded and leaned her head against Arthur's shoulder. "I know. I just wish I could come, but Lyra is too young. Tell Annis I'll visit next year."

"I will. Now, do I get my hug, or will I have to leave thinking that my wife doesn't love me anymore?" Arthur asked with a twinkle in his eyes. He quickly winked at his son. Gwen let go of William and slapped Arthur lightly on his chainmail-covered chest.

"Oh, quit your dramatics, Arthur. You know I love you." She put her arms around his neck and stretched up to kiss him on the lips.

"I love you, too, Guinevere. I'll miss you." He pulled her into another kiss before stepping back. He walked over to his horse, looking at the others gathered in the courtyard, who were all watching him in surprise. "Oh, stop looking at me like that. Have you never said goodbye to your wives like that? Get on your horses, we're leaving." He mounted his own horse and waited until everyone had done the same. Then he waved at his Queen one last time, before he led the others through the gates of the citadel, into the lower town and to the forests surrounding Camelot.

* * *

**AN: This is only the first part. I won't be telling you when I'll be posting next, since I'm not really sure myself. Working life is a lot busier that school, and my posting has become rather unpredictable as of late. But still, I hope you enjoyed it!**


	28. Foreign trip, part 2

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William! ****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

**Summary: Next part of the trip. We begin where we left off last chapter :).**

* * *

The morning remained very uneventful, to the point that William was almost getting bored. Fortunately, Merlin was riding next to him, so there was never a quiet moment. The warlock was telling him about his many hunting trips with Arthur, which always seemed to go wrong somehow. Occasionally, they were interrupted by Arthur, who was riding just in front of them and didn't seem to agree with what Merlin was telling. He proclaimed his friend was exaggerating or inventing some of the more ridiculous situations. When Merlin was telling him how Arthur risked their lives by inventing the trick to disguise their scent with Gaia berries when going through the wilddeoren-cave, he tried to convince William that he was certain it was going to work. The expression on Merlin's face, however, made the prince question his father's words.

After that, the King and his Warlock started bickering. William could hear everything they said, and often had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud. The two of them really were amusing to watch. He kept riding behind them, until one of the nobles passed him and requested the King's attention. Merlin was called away by one of the knights shortly after that, which left him riding on his own, still behind his father. Another one of the noble men, Lord Tobian, came to ride beside him after a while. William had never really liked the man, because he was arrogant and rude to him most of the time, even though he made sure not to do it in front of the King.

"You should know better than to listen in on their conversation," the man remarked. William frowned.

"I'm not listening in."

"Yes, you are. I've seen you. Those are state matters they're talking about. It's none of your concern." The man persisted, scowling slightly.

"I'm really not. I can't help it if I overhear something from time to time, can I? And besides, it's not like I would tell anyone." William was becoming upset, but he managed to hide his emotions.

"I knew taking you was a mistake. You're too young, you don't understand what this is about. He should have just left you in Camelot, safely behind the castle walls." The words were getting hurtful.

"You can't speak to me like that!"

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it? Go crying to your daddy? It would only demonstrate how much of a child you still are." William was stunned. He didn't know how to respond, so he stayed quiet. "Oh, the silent treatment. Very mature, little spoiled prince. Now, I would appreciate it very much if you could fall back a little to go bother someone else. Go on!"

William had to bite his lips to keep the tears inside. He realized not everyone could like him, but he had never been insulted like this before. He did what the man practically ordered him to do, despite the fact that the lord had been the one to come up to him. He let a few people pass him, and in the end decided to just ride at the back, just in front of the servants, because he felt no desire to ride next to another lord. And the knights were all busy conversing amongst themselves, so they certainly wouldn't appreciate the company of a seven-year-old. If Percival or Leon had been there, he could have stayed with them, but they had stayed to protect the castle. So he drifted further to the back.He knew the servants wouldn't object to his presence, at least.

A few of the servants did end up trying to pull him into a conversation, mostly the ones who worked often for the royal family. When he stayed quiet, however, they just left him alone. William was still thinking about the hurtful words the lord had thrown at him, so he didn't notice one of the younger servants passing him and going up to Merlin.

The warlock came to ride next to him only a few minutes later. "Something wrong, William?" When William shook his head, he continued. "You are exactly like your father, you know? You don't only look like him, you act the same way too. And I believe you know how well I know him, too, don't you?"

The prince frowned and looked up at Merlin in confusion. "Yeees… Why?"

Merlin threw him a wide smile. "Because, if you know that, you should also know that I won't believe you when you say nothing is wrong while looking like that. Pendragons are rubbish at lying. At least to me. Now, care to tell me what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I can handle it on my own. I'm not a little child!"

Merlin's eyes narrowed, before widening in comprehension. "What did that old toad Lord Tobian say to you?"

William looked at the man in question. There were quite a lot of others in between. Still, he refuse to tell. "Nothing. Really, uncle Merlin, it was nothing."

"William, it's not nothing, and we both know it. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but you're coming with me, riding in the front, and you're going to talk to your father. And don't even think about lying to him, you hear me. I'll make your nose grow every time I even think you're lying." William had no way to escape, so he sighed before steering his horse to follow Merlin to the front.

Once there, Merlin made him ride next to his father, who smiled at him.

"So, did you have fun in the back with the servants?"

William couldn't really lie. "Not really…"

"Oh. I thought you liked them."

"I do."

His short answers notified Arthur that something was wrong. "Alright, tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing is wrong, dad." Suddenly, William felt a tingling at the top of his nose. He looked back at Merlin with wide eyes. Merlin just lifted his eyebrows. "Alright, something is wrong, but I can deal with it myself!" The tingling stopped.

"If you think so." Arthur would have left it at that, if Merlin hadn't opened his mouth.

"Lord Tobian doesn't like him very much and I saw him riding next to William."

Arthur narrowed his eyes and looked back at William. "Did he say something to you?"

William's shoulders fell. "Yes. But I won't tell you, because it's childish if I do."

"Really now. Did Tobian say that to you? It appears he forgot you are only seven, so still a child. _My_ child."

"Daaa-aad…"

"William, it doesn't matter what he said. The fact remains, he was disrespectful to you and he clearly upset you. Even if you hadn't been my son, I invited you to come, so he should have respected that. I'll speak to him tonight, when we have made camp."

When William looked back at Merlin, to ask him to interfere, the warlock was smiling proudly. Seeing that no help would come from that side, William rolled his eyes and sighed.

_**AxG**_

Later that night, when he was getting ready for bed in the tent he would share with his father, he looked up at the man. "Dad?"

Arthur looked up from the papers he was studying."Yes?"

William waited until he was under the blankets to ask what he wanted to know. "When I said I could deal with it myself this afternoon, you said 'If you think so'. Would you have let me do it on my own?"

Arthur stood up and went to sit on the side of Williams makeshift bed. "I would have. Although I may have kept an eye on you, so that I could interfere when I felt things were getting out of hand. I trust you to deal with things on your own, William. But you are still my son, so that means I will do anything in my power to protect you, even if it is from my own lords." After his words, the King pulled the blankets up a little higher and kissed the prince's head.

* * *

**AN: Hi! ****So, again a long wait. And I'm still not entirely happy with the chapter. Over the course of two weeks, I've been writing on it, sometimes only a few lines, and then half of it at once. It wouldn't really come to me, but I thought the last part really had to appear, and I needed something to happen to make the two of them have that talk. ****And I'm sorry for stealing from Pinocchio, but it was one of my favourite stories as a child. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and next time, you can read all about the visit!**


	29. Foreign trip, final

**************AN: I don't own Merlin. I am definitely grateful that the writers managed to make such a great and popular series, which I just fell in love with! I only own William! ****************Warning: English is not my mother tongue, so it is entirely possible there are spelling or grammar mistakes in my story. Do not hesitate to point them out to me.**

**Summary: Final part of the trip. We begin again where we left off last chapter :).**

* * *

The rest of the trip to Caerleon was uneventful. William hadn't heard anything from lord Tobian since his father had a talk with him. Well, lord Tobian hadn't really been talking, mostly just listening with a few stammered answers in between. For the remainder of the journey, he had stayed as far away from William as possible. Now, they were riding through the gates of Annis' castle onto the courtyard where the Queen was already waiting for them, surrounded by quite a few knights, servants and nobles. Arthur was the first to get down from his horse and he immediately stepped closer to Annis.

"Your Highness. It's a pleasure to see you after so long. You look well."

The Queen smiled. "No need to be so formal, Arthur. It's good to see you. And I see you did as I asked and brought your son."

"I did." Arthur turned to where William had just gotten down. "William, come here. I'd like you to meet Queen Annis. She's a very good friend and ally of Camelot."

William stepped forward and bowed in front of the Queen. "Your Highness. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Annis laughed softly. "The pleasure is all mine, young man. You probably don't remember, but we met before. You were only a year old, at the time. You've certainly grown since then. And it seems you take after your father in looks and behavior. Such a charming boy." She looked up at Arthur. "You've been raising him well, I see. Let's go inside, I had my servants prepare a feast for your arrival."

Once in the banquet hall, they are surrounded by people. Fortunately, the atmosphere is relaxed. William can even see a few children running around after each other. When one of the boys who seems to be his age passes them, Annis calls him back.

"Richard, I would like you to meet King Arthur and his son, William. Arthur, William, this is Richard, my oldest grandson."

Arthur was the first to respond. "It's great to meet you, Richard. Your grandmother has written about you in her letters."

"I feel honored to meet you, your highness. And you, prince William."

William smiled widely. "William is fine."

Richard smiled back at him and looked at his grandmother quickly. Before she could say anything else, he grabbed Williams wrist. "Come on, you can come with me. No need to stay around all these boring old people." He dragged William after him before anyone could interfere. Behind them, they heard the Queen call Richard's name in a scandalized tone, followed by Arthur's 'Hey! I'm not old!'

When they were behind a corner, the two of them burst out laughing. Once they calmed down, Richard proposed to sneak some food away from the tables to eat outside. They did as he said. Outside, they met a few of the other kids, who Richard introduced to William. They spent the rest of the evening conversing and playing on the courtyard, until one of the servants called them inside again. The servant showed William to the room he would be occupying for the next few days.

His father was waiting for him there, even though he had his own rooms on the other side of the hallway.

"So, did you have fun?" William smiled widely again. "I take it that's a yes. Did you at least tell Richard that I'm not old and boring?"

"I forgot?" To be honest, William hadn't even thought about it.

Arthur rolled his eyes, even though it wasn't very dignified, but his eyes were sparkling too. "Thanks a lot. Good to know how you think about me…"

"Daa-aaad. You know that's not what I think."

Arthur stepped closer and pulled William into a hug. "I know. At least, I know you don't think like that all the time. Now, get some sleep. We're having breakfast with the Queen and the crown prince, prince Donald, Richard's father."

"Can I spend time with Richard and the others tomorrow? They asked. Well, Richard asked if I would join them for sword practice."

"You made a new friend, I see. If sword practice is after lunch, that's fine. You have a lesson with Merlin before lunch, though."

William looked up at Arthur with a pout. "Practice is in the afternoon. But do I have to go to Merlin for a lesson?"

"Yes, you have to. You promised your mother, remember? And you're the future King, you have to be prepared." Arthur looked very serious.

"Dad, it's writing, what does that have to do with being King?"

"You think a King doesn't need to be able to write? How do you think I write my speeches?"

William smiled slyly. "You don't. Uncle Merlin writes them."

Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times and then narrowed his eyes. "Alright, bedtime, you smart-arse. And you better make sure I won't hear Merlin complain that you didn't show up, you hear me?" William bit his lip to keep from laughing and pulled away from his father to get ready for bed.

When Arthur left the prince's chambers five minutes later, he was grateful that Merlin hadn't been in the room with them. He was sure he would have never heard the end of it.

_**AxG**_

The next few days went by quickly. In the morning, he spent a few hours with Merlin, although not all of the time was spent learning. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were always spent with his father, even though they were joined by quite a few other people. The King would speak to them about borders, protection of the people, harvest and other important topics. Most of these subjects couldn't really hold William's interest, but he would listen anyway, because he knew he could learn from the way his father handled everything. Well, he listened during breakfast and lunch, at least. Dinners were a lot more difficult because he was tired. Oftentimes, he just zoned out. Once or twice, he actually fell asleep at the table. Those were the nights he woke up while being carried to his chambers by his father. The King didn't scold him for it, just smiled understandingly before tucking him in.

The part of the day William looked most forward to, however, was practice with Richard. In Camelot, there weren't a lot of boys his age who were already training with a sword. And if there were boys his age, they weren't at his level yet. Richard had the same problem. Both of them were excited to be able to train with someone who could match them. Practice was overseen by a knight of each kingdom at first, but that changed quickly when both their fathers saw their enthusiasm. The men had walked by during their second practice and they had stopped to observe. Both were experienced fighters, so they quickly agreed to oversee the practice of their sons together from that moment on. Arthur couldn't help but notice that William progressed far quicker now that he had a worthy partner.

At the insistence of the two young princes, Arthur and prince Donald agreed to fight each other on the last day. It would be a friendly duel, but word had spread, so a lot of people came to watch them. Like William expected, his father won the duel, but there were no hard feelings and their last night in Caerleon was spent laughing and feasting again. This time though, Richard and William stayed inside.

_**AxG**_

The morning of the departure of the Camelot party, William and Richard were saying goodbye to each other and agreeing to keep in touch. Both of them had enjoyed the company of the other, and most of all, they had enjoyed their practices. William was sad to realize that he would have to go back to fighting with someone else.

"You have to come visit Camelot. We can train some more, then. And the castle and town are beautiful. You should see it!"

"I will. I think I heard my father tell my mother that he was really thinking about it. If he goes, I'm definitely joining him."

"Great! And then I'll visit Caerleon again too. Mom said she was coming next year, so I'll ask to come." They continued planning for a few more minutes.

At the same time, Arthur stood with Annis and Donald. They were observing the two young princes. Annis spoke.

"I fear that the next time I'll see your son, he will have changed a lot. Young boys change a lot at their age."

Arthur smiled. "I wouldn't be so sure. If I know my son, he's already planning to come with Gwen next year. If we allowed it, he'd come visit every month."

"I wouldn't mind. He really is a wonderful boy, Arthur. I'm sure that one day, he will be just as great a King as you are."

"Thank you, Annis. I know he will. He's already strengthening the bonds between our kingdoms, after all." Arthur turned to Donald. "If you are visiting Camelot in a few months, bring Richard. I'm quite sure the two of them will enjoy seeing each other again."

Donald chuckled. "You think my son would agree to stay at home? If I told him he couldn't come, he'd throw a tantrum so loud you'd hear it in Camelot."

"Yes, they do seem to be very much alike in that aspect."

After exchanging a few more words, the Camelot party climbed on their horses and set of for home. They rode faster than the week before. After all, William had a lot to tell his mother, and Arthur just longed to have his wife in his arms again.

* * *

**AN: Hi! Another long wait. Thank you, all of you for still reading this story. ****Life really is a lot busier, busier than I expected, at least. And on top of work, I'm taking driving lessons. And I don't even like sitting in a car...**

**The chapter after this will probably be one that's not part of a longer 'story'.**

**So, until next time!**


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